REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday announced that Margaret L. (Peggy) Johnson has been named executive vice president of Business Development reporting to Microsoft chief executive officer Satya Nadella.

Johnson joins Microsoft from Qualcomm where she most recently served as executive vice president of Qualcomm Technologies and president of global market development. In that role she was responsible for commercializing new business opportunities and developing strategic relationships.

"Peggy shares our worldview and knows what it takes to drive new growth in mobility and the cloud," Nadella said. "Her experience uniquely positions her to lead Microsoft's business development efforts, and she will be a great addition to our senior leadership team."

Johnson will be responsible for driving strategic business deals and partnerships across various industries with key customers, strategic innovation partners, OEMs, key accounts, third-party publishers and industry influencers.

During her time at Qualcomm, Johnson held various leadership positions across engineering, sales, marketing and business development, and played an instrumental role in launching the world's first large-scale mobile app store.

"I'm thrilled to be joining Microsoft at such a pivotal time for the company and the industry," Johnson said. "The opportunity to build new and surprising partnerships to help Microsoft succeed in a mobile-first, cloud-first world is truly exciting, and I look forward to leading these efforts."

Johnson has a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from San Diego State University.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services, devices and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.