Sydney – 22 September 2004 – Microsoft Australia today announced the appointment of Greg Stone to the role of National Technology Officer (NTO). Reporting to Microsoft Australia’s Public Sector Director, Kevin Ackhurst, as NTO Mr Stone will be responsible for working with Microsoft Australia’s commercial and public sector customers to help establish technology strategy, including architectural guidance, policy and industry standard compliance. Mr Stone formerly held the position within Microsoft Australia of Director of Enterprise Technologies and oversaw the growth of Microsoft Australia’s technical pre-sales team, doubling the team’s size to ensure the provision of high-level support to Microsoft’s enterprise customer base. He also led the Trustworthy Computing initiative in Australia. Prior to this role, Mr Stone established the first .NET architecture practice for Microsoft Australia, a globally recognised achievement. According to Mr Ackhurst, the appointment of Mr Stone as NTO represents a significant step in Microsoft Australia’s connected government strategy. "The formation of Greg’s new role demonstrates Microsoft Australia’s ongoing commitment to continuous evolution to meet the needs of our customers. In his new role, Mr. Stone will work closely with customers to identify and establish value added programs which help government collaborate across industry.

Mr Stone joined Microsoft in 2001 from a multinational office supplies company where he was general manager of eBusiness architecture. Mr Stone has a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Auckland. - ends - About Microsoft Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential. For further information: Samantha Herron Corporate Communications Manager Microsoft Australia Ph: 02 9870 2316 or 0412 589 951 sherron@microsoft.com Katie Peters or Simon Murphy Howorth Communications 02 8281 3830 howorth@howorth.com.au