Q. You're still in your early days in Canada, but what are some of the unique challenges and facets of the Canadian enterprise market you've identified so far?

A. One of the things that has struck me'is the focus on driving increased productivity. Microsoft has an important role to play in that through [new products coming out this year] because they're all about increasing productivity, [from] mobile devices to how knowledge workers work to how, through integrated innovation, we connect and share, publish and collaborate. While communications and information technology is not going to be the only thing to increase productivity'we can play an important role in that.

Q. Where do you want to take Microsoft Canada in the next year or so?

A. This isn't something where I have to come in and take Microsoft Canada in a significantly different direction than my predecessor. The most important thing we can do'is ramp up our organization so we're aligned around this next wave of innovation that's coming over the next 12 months. That means how we work with partners, how we work with customers, how we communicate and how we train our people. We're setting up for some very important releases and launches of products in our next fiscal year. The wave of innovation doesn't just stop with those mainstream products like Office, Vista and Exchange. We're incubating a number of very interesting new technologies, whether it be in the Windows Mobile space, in security, or in other areas. That requires, again, making sure we have the right organization in place with the expertise to articulate those products.

Q. Microsoft Canada is primarily a marketing, sales and service organization. Is the goal just to sell products or is Microsoft looking for more of a leadership and development role from Canada?