Robert J. Bach (born December 31, 1961), commonly known as Robbie Bach, was the President of Entertainment & Devices Division at

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washin ...

. He led the division that was responsible for the

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...

Zune Zune is a discontinued line of digital media products and services marketed by Microsoft from November 2006 until its discontinuation in June 2012. Zune consisted of a line of portable media players, digital media player software for Windows Per ...

Games for Windows Games for Windows is a discontinued brand owned by Microsoft and introduced in 2006 to coincide with the release of the Windows Vista operating system. The brand itself represents a standardized technical certification program and online service ...

Windows Phone Windows Phone (WP) is a discontinued family of mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft for smartphones as the replacement successor to Windows Mobile and Zune. Windows Phone featured a new user interface derived from the Metro design l ...

and the

Microsoft TV Mediaroom is a collection of software for operators to deliver IPTV (IPTV) subscription services, including content-protected, live, digital video recorder, video on demand, multiscreen, and applications. These services can be delivered via a rang ...

platform. After 22 years at

, Robbie announced his retirement from Microsoft effective in the fall of 2010. Robbie now speaks to corporate, academic and civic groups across the country and in 2015 completed his first book, Xbox Revisited: A Game Plan for Corporate and Civic Renewal.New York Times Article, May 25,2010
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Biography

Robbie Bach was born in Peoria, Illinois and is the son of a former Schlitz executive. He graduated from RJ Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1980. Robbie was a Morehead Scholar at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

where he graduated with highest honors in economics and was also named an Academic All-American on the Tar Heel's varsity tennis team. Robbie went to work for

Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment management and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in more than 41 countries and more than 75,000 employees, the fir ...

for two years before going onto became an Arjay Miller Scholar at Stanford University Graduate School of Business where he earned his MBA. He joined

in 1988 and was with the company until 2010. He is currently serving on the board of several companies and non-profit organizations. He is now focused on bringing his experiences to positively impact communities through his public speaking engagements and recently published book - Xbox Revisited: A Game Plan for Corporate and Civic Renewal. He is married with three children.

Microsoft career

Robbie Bach joined Microsoft in 1988 and over the next 22 years worked in various marketing, general management and business leadership roles.

Microsoft Office

As the top marketing executive in charge of Microsoft Office during the 1990s, Bach battled against WordPerfect and Lotus when they had 80% market share to Microsoft's 20%. Microsoft Office suite is now Microsoft's second most profitable product, garnering billions in revenue.

Microsoft Europe

From 1990 to 1992, Bach served as the business operations manager for Microsoft Europe, reporting to the president of Microsoft Europe in Paris, where he coordinated business planning and strategy, budgeting, and special projects. He also helped unify Microsoft's once-divided European local units.

President, Entertainment & Devices Division

As president of the Entertainment & Devices (E&D) Division at Microsoft Corp., Robbie Bach drove the company's Connected Entertainment vision, offering consumers new and branded entertainment experiences across music, gaming, video and mobile communications. Bach's responsibilities included guiding new software, services and hardware throughout Microsoft's entertainment and mobility platforms, and bringing those solutions to market with retailers and partners. Bach also managed Microsoft's worldwide retail relationships as well as media and entertainment partner relationships.

Microsoft titles

* Product Manager (Microsoft Works) * Business Operations Manager (Europe) * Vice President of Marketing (Desktop Applications Division) * Vice President of the Learning (Entertainment and Productivity Division) * Vice President of the Home and Retail division * Senior Vice President of Home and Entertainment Division * President of the Entertainment and Devices Division

Board memberships

Boys & Girls Clubs of America Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) is a national organization of local chapters which provide voluntary after-school programs for young people. The organization, which holds a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code, h ...

: Board Chairman 2008 - 2010; Board of Governors 2005–Present. * Sonos: Board of Governors 2011–Present. *

United States Olympic Committee The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in Col ...

: Board of Directors 2011–Present. *

Bipartisan Policy Center The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank that promotes bipartisanship. The organization aims to combine ideas from both the Republican and Democratic parties to address challenges in the U.S. BPC focuses on is ...

: Board of Directors 2016–Present. *

Brooks Sports Brooks Sports, Inc., also known as Brooks Running, is an American sports equipment company that designs and markets high-performance men's and women's sneakers, clothing, and accessories. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Brooks products are ...

: Board of Advisers 2011–2015. * Year Up Puget Sound: Board of Directors 2012–Present. *

Space Needle The Space Needle is an observation tower in Seattle, Washington, United States. Considered to be an icon of the city, it has been designated a Seattle landmark. Located in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood, it was built in the Seattle Center ...

: Board of Directors 2011–Present. * Maninis Inc.: Co-Owner 2014–Present.

References

External links

Robert J. Bach's bio page at Microsoft PressPass

* ttp://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-20128013-75/the-inside-story-of-how-microsoft-killed-its-courier-tablet/ The Inside Story of How Microsoft Killed its Courier Tablet - November 1, 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bach, Robert J. Living people Microsoft employees People from Peoria, Illinois University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Stanford Graduate School of Business alumni 1961 births Corporate executives American business executives