Microsoft rehires Kurt DelBene as head of Corporate Strategy; Penn now Chief Insights Officer

Microsoft has rehired Kurt DelBene as the new Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Planning, reporting directly to CEO Satya Nadella.

At the same time, Mark Penn -- most recently Chief Strategy Officer -- has been named to a new position as Executive Vice President and "Chief Insights Officer." In that role, Penn is responsible for working on "core issues across Microsoft's products, value propositions and investments," according to Microsoft's Web site.

When he left Microsoft in 2013, then-20-year veteran DelBene was President of Microsoft's Office Division. After leaving Microsoft, he became Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, where he was charged with trying to fix Healthcare.gov. After leaving that role, DelBene joined Madrona Venture Group in September 2014, to focus on investing and advising tech startups in the Pacific Northwest.

When he rejoins Microsoft later this month, DelBene will join Nadella's inner circle of advisors, known as the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT). Penn, the mastermind behind Microsoft's apparently defunct "Scroogled" campaign, also remains a member of the SLT.

DelBene's new job will entail him leading both cross-engineering and cross-business strategy, "with an emphasis on opportunities that span product and engineering boundaries," according to Microsoft's April 13 press release announcing his appointment.

DelBene will be focuused on identifying new investments and assisting Nadella in executing "strategic initiatives."

Jeff Teper, who has been working on Microsoft's corporate investments and acquisitions strategy, will be reporting to DelBene.