I saw this mail (I have been out the country) while I was away and thought I would share it with those of you.  For those of you who don't know who Jen is, she was the person behind the SBSC programme in the UK and was part of the fighting force to get you things like Demo Showcase.  Now strangely enough, Chris, some of you will have met - he is a great mate of mine, technical and also the hero of the Demo Showcase.  He is known for getting passionate about technology and it being used correctly, so he is an ideal person to get to know!  Anyway, here was the e-mail to SBSC members:

New Faces as Microsoft

Hi All

I wanted update you all on some new faces at Microsoft who will be focused on the Small Business Specialist community as part of our continued focus to increase investment in this area. I would also like to take this chance to let you know that I am sad to have to say good-bye to you all!  I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as SBSC programme manager and will miss working with you all, however I will be transitioning now to a new role.

Firstly I would like to introduce Lisa White to you. Lisa brings a wealth of experience working in IT and the software industry both at Microsoft and beyond. She will be responsible for the small business specialist community going forward as well as having a broader remit around focusing on fostering a strong sense of community within the Microsoft channel. Her first day in her new role will be March 10th.

Secondly I would also like to introduce Chris Parkes to you. He is a partner technical specialist who you will soon have the chance to meet. He will be focused on evangelizing Microsoft’s core technologies within the Small Business Specialist Community and brings a huge amount of expertise in the area – many of you know him already!

Microsoft’s commitment to the SBSC programme remains strong with a specific focus on continually improving the value that partners receive from the programme. There is a great deal of internal support for the SBSC community and we’re looking forward to continuing to build the momentum around the great work you are doing with customers.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch is you have any queries or concerns, all of my contact details are below.  Also please feel free to contact my manager, Sarah Peullemeulle (<snipped>) who heads up the Channel Marketing and Activation team and will be more than happy to help.

In closing, I wanted to take this opportunity to say that I have really enjoyed my time working with you and I’d like to wish you all the very best for the future.

Kind regards

Jen

Jennifer Brinton

If you want to learn more about Chris - have a look at his blog.  I'm sure Lisa will say hello some time soon :-)

ttfn and see you soon

David