Microsoft Appoints Internal Legal Compliance Officers
New Positions Will Strengthen Compliance With Proposed Antitrust Consent Decree, as Well as Wide Range of Legal Obligations
REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT - news) today announced the appointment of two compliance officers to enhance the company's ability to comply with a wide range of federal, state and legal obligations, including the proposed antitrust consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice and nine states.
(Photo: newscom.com )
The company named Odell Guyton, a corporate compliance professional and former federal prosecutor, to serve as Microsoft's director of compliance. Guyton will oversee a comprehensive education and compliance assurance program at Microsoft. This program will build upon and enhance the company's current efforts to comply with a wide range of legal and ethical obligations, including employment law, anti-discrimination statutes, privacy, civil rights, securities, foreign trade interactions, competition law and other areas.
In addition, Microsoft designated David Dadoun, a former antitrust enforcement lawyer with the Federal Trade Commission, as internal antitrust compliance officer to administer the company's antitrust compliance program, as required under the proposed consent decree.
``As a major employer and a leader in our industry, we take our legal obligations very seriously,'' said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. ``These new compliance officers will help us do an even better job of understanding our responsibilities under the law and ensuring that all our people know what's expected of them. We are committed to full compliance with the antitrust settlement, as well as all the other laws and regulations affecting our business.''
``This is an exciting opportunity to assist one of America's most prominent companies as it strives to become a recognized leader for its business practices,'' Guyton said. ``I look forward to sharing my expertise and experience with the executives and employees at Microsoft to achieve this goal.''
Guyton, 46, brings a broad range of experience to his new position. He worked as a prosecutor for 12 years, including five years as an assistant U.S. attorney with the Department of Justice. Most recently, he served as corporate compliance officer at the University of Pennsylvania and for the university's Health System, where he developed, implemented and monitored an effective corporate compliance function. This included coordinating and identifying all universitywide initiatives to prevent, detect and respond to compliance issues, and communicating, training and monitoring staff regarding compliance with laws, rules and regulations affecting the university's operations. Before his work with the university, Guyton worked in private practice, developing and implementing compliance programs for public and private companies.
Dadoun, 37, recently joined Microsoft's Law and Corporate Affairs antitrust practice group. In the internal antitrust compliance officer position established by the proposed settlement with the DOJ and nine states, Dadoun will work with executives and other company employees to help administer Microsoft's antitrust compliance program, as part of the company's efforts to ensure full compliance with the proposed consent decree. In addition, Dadoun will be responsible for working with the settling parties and a technical committee to be appointed jointly by Microsoft and the settling plaintiffs to address issues that may arise under the decree after it has been entered as a final order. Dadoun practiced several years as an antitrust enforcement lawyer with the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C., and most recently practiced antitrust law as a partner with one of Seattle's leading law firms.
``The steps we are taking underscore our commitment to make the proposed consent decree a success and to comply fully with all of our legal obligations,'' said Brad Smith, senior vice president and incoming general counsel at Microsoft. ``We recognize that people are going to judge us by our actions, not our words, so we are devoting the resources and taking the actions to ensure that we meet all of our obligations.''
biz.yahoo.com |
