Robert J. "Bob" Herbold, retired executive vice president and chief operating officer of Microsoft Corporation, is the Managing Director of The Herbold Group, Limited Liability Company, a consulting business focused on executive training and profitability.
Education
Herbold received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Cincinnati. He also studied at Case Western Reserve University from which he holds both a master’s degree in mathematics and a Doctor of Philosophy in computer science.
Career
He spent 26 years at The Procter & Gamble Company. In his last 5 years with P&G, he served as senior vice president of advertising and information services. In that role, he was responsible for the company’s worldwide marketing/brand management operations as well as all marketing related services such as media and retail promotion programs.
He was also responsible for the worldwide information technology and market research organizations.
He joined Microsoft in 1994 as executive vice president and chief operating officer, retiring in 2001. During his tenure in that position, he was responsible for finance, corporate marketing, market research, manufacturing and distribution, information systems, human resources, and public relations.
During his 7 years as chief operating officer, Microsoft experienced a fourfold increase in revenue and a sevenfold increase in profits. From 2001 to 2003, he worked half-time for Microsoft as Executive Vice President assisting in government, industry, and customer issues.
He is a regular guest commentator and has appeared on Consumer News and Business Channel"s Sqwak Box, Power Lunch, Kudlow Report and Fox Business Network.
“Inside Microsoft: Balancing Discipline and Creativity,” his article on profitability and agility was published in the January 2002 issue of Harvard Business Review. "China versus America: Which Is the Developing Country?" was published July 9, 2011 in Wall Street Journal. He sits on several non-profit boards, including The Heritage Foundation and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
He is an adjunct professor in the business school at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and president of The Foundation, which provides college scholarships to science and engineering students. is married to Patricia L., the former United States Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore.
They have three grown children.