MSN Chief Leaves Microsoft

Joanne Bradford's departure follows a management shake-up in Microsoft's online business in February, when Bradford's then-boss Steve Berkowitz left. He had arrived in 2006 and was charged in part with expanding the audience on Microsoft's disparate MSN and Windows Live sites.

Bradford's decision also comes six weeks after Microsoft's unsolicited $40-billion bid for Web portal business Yahoo Inc. The takeover offer is widely seen as an admission that Microsoft's hope of challenging Google Inc.'s search and advertising dominance with a homegrown solution was gone.

Bradford was to report to Satya Nadella, promoted last month to the role of senior vice president in charge of search, portals and Microsoft's advertising platform.

"We thank her for her many contributions in helping us build a world-class advertising sales organization, bringing the advertiser point of view closer to Microsoft and evolving the MSN experience through partnerships and branded entertainment," Nadella said in an e-mailed statement.

Bradford's last day as a Microsoft corporate vice president is March 19. She will begin as Spot Runner's executive vice president of national marketing services later in the month.

"I'm thrilled about joining such a visionary and entrepreneurial team," Bradford said in a Spot Runner press release.

Spot Runner gives local businesses a lower-cost, self-serve way to run ads on television. The company has received funding from Battery Ventures, Index Ventures, CBS Corp. and advertising agencies WPP Group and Interpublic Group, among others.

Greg Nelson, who worked for Bradford as general manager of MSN International, will serve as the interim head of MSN worldwide.

If the proposed Yahoo takeover is completed, Microsoft is expected to make more radical personnel changes as it blends the two companies.