Today conglomerate publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt hired Microsoft corporate VP Linda K. Zecher as its new CEO.
Here’s more about Zecher’s experience: “A proven executive with 25 years in the technology and public sector markets, Linda most recently served as a Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, heading the company’s $8 billion Worldwide Public Sector business. In that role, she has led a global team of nearly 2,000 professionals in more than 100 countries in providing innovative technology and programs to customer organizations in the education, government, and healthcare sectors. ”
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt CEO Barry O’Callaghan resigned in March. O’Callaghan’s Riverdeep Houghton Mifflin Group bought Harcourt in 2007. Last year, the CEO commented on the company’s struggles to refinance its debt: “Nobody has lost more on paper than I have. Obviously I’m disappointed for my fellow shareholders, but I can’t be blamed for things I can’t control, and unfortunately state budgets are things I can’t control.”