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Bernard Vergnes assumed the role of chairman emeritus at Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) on July 1, 2000. Vergnes joined Microsoft in 1983 as general manager and founder of the company’s French subsidiary. His initial responsibility for developing the business in Southern Europe led to the creation of Microsoft subsidiaries in Milan, Italy; Amsterdam, Netherlands; and Madrid, Spain. Vergnes was promoted to vice president of Microsoft Europe in 1990, then to president of Microsoft Europe and senior vice president of Microsoft Corp. in 1992. In July 1997 he became chairman of Microsoft EMEA.
Vergnes started his career as an engineer. In 1968 he graduated from the Ecole Supérieure d’Electricité in Paris with a degree in electrical engineering. After receiving his diploma, he moved to Canada with his wife and joined the faculty of the Ecole Polytechnique of Montréal. For two years, on a national service assignment, he held the post of assistant professor of electronics and communication. During this period he also taught courses at the University of Québec. He then received a scholarship to study for his master of science in biomedical engineering at the University of Southern California. Another diploma, in business administration, granted a few years later by the Université Catholique de Louvrain in Belgium, completed his education.
Vergnes began his career in the computer field in Belgium. In 1975 in Brussels, he founded the Belgium subsidiary of the American minicomputer manufacturer Modcomp. Minicomputers represented the technical revolution of the time, and the company grew quickly. With Modcomp’s continued growth, Vergnes soon found himself taking care of operations in several countries. Beyond Belgium and Holland, his responsibility spread to cover the United Kingdom and Scandinavia; in 1980 he returned to France to take part in the management of business in Southern Europe. | 