Skype appoints new chief operating officer

Scott Durchslag joins from Motorola

Ian Williams, vnunet.com 03 Jul 2008

Skype has appointed Scott Durchslag as its new chief operating officer effective immediately.

Durchslag joins from Motorola where he spent five years on the management team of the firm's Mobile Devices business.

Durchslag will report directly to Skype president Josh Silverman, who was appointed to the role in March.

"Innovation has always been a hallmark of Skype, and I want to innovate not only with the products we bring to market, but with how we bring them to market, " said Silverman.

"Scott has an outstanding track record and will be able to help us apply best practices in staying ever more customer focused and nimble, even while becoming larger."

The VoIP company recently announced the beta version of its latest Skype 4.0 upgrade which promises improved video and options to help users better manage calls.

Skype was acquired by auction giant eBay in September 2005 and now boasts more than 309 million registered users around the world.

The company posted total revenues of $126m in the first quarter of this year, an increase of 61 per cent over the prior year.

However, profits may not be enough to help cover the hammering its parent company is currently receiving in the court room.

"I believe in Skype not only because I've been a user since the early days, but because I'm convinced the opportunities ahead for Skype are tremendous given how the world is changing," said Durchslag.

"Skype combines superior multimedia communications technology with making the world a better place by cost-effectively connecting consumers on a global scale.

"It also enables smaller businesses to grow without the unnecessary fuel consumption, costs and carbon pollution generated by needless travel."

Durchslag graduated from the University of Chicago and received his MBA from Harvard Business School.

He went on to work for McKinsey & Company where was elected a partner after four years, as well as being involved in Grand Central, a Silicon Valley enterprise software startup funded by Benchmark Capital.

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