(Emma McIntyre / Getty Images for LA28) John Slusher shouldn't admit this. When the former Nike executive signed on to oversee LA28's commercial operations last year, he looked at the private organizing committee's lofty financial goals with some concern. Sales were "incredibly slow." There was momentum around the first Olympics in L.A. in more than 40 years, but not many results. Yet. Weeks after celebrating his one-year anniversary with the group responsible for organizing and delivering the 2028 Games, Slusher and his team delivered a $2-billion present.
Althoff left Oracle nearly 13 years ago to join Microsoft as its executive VP and chief commercial officer. He set up the Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions (MCAPS) division to handle enterprise and partner sales, which Nadella called the company's "most important growth engine." He will now oversee all of Microsoft's commercial operations, including sales, marketing, and operations. Nadella will keep his focus on engineering, including AI strategy, future technologies, and the datacenters that will support them.