Bill Hartnett is Microsoft’s General Manager of Financial Service Strategy and Solutions, responsible for developing the company’s worldwide strategic direction and its implementation across financial services industries.

Bill joined Microsoft in 1994 as Worldwide Insurance Industry Manager, establishing Microsoft as the leader in creative application of technology and a force of positive change in this conservative industry. In 1997 he assumed leadership of Microsoft’s financial services strategy group and drove expansion of the company’s efforts in this important global industry. Bill was cited as the number 4 most influential person in Institutional Investor’s eFinance Top 40 for 2003 and 2004, and one of the “People to Watch In the Coming Year” for 1998 by Best’s Review – a leading insurance industry publication. He was a founder of iDeal, serves on the board of directors.

A former insurance executive, Bill has served on the boards of directors of ACORD and the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents. He has lobbied on state and federal levels on insurance and small business issues and was a candidate for state senate in RI. With a unique combination of expertise in business, politics, and technology, Bill articulates a compelling vision of the future of business. A leading industry activist, he is a nationally recognized author and speaker on technology, change and their impact on business. A graduate of Tufts University, Bill is an avid sailor and Bronze Medalist in Yachting at the 1979 Pan American Games.