Andy Lees out as Microsoft shakes up Windows Phone division

Microsoft has announced plans to replace the head of its Windows Phone business as the company looks to build on the mobile platform.

Chief exectuive Steve Ballmer said in an email to staff that Andy Lees will step down as head of the Windows Phone business to oversee "a time-critical opportunity focused on driving maximum impact in 2012 with Windows Phone and Windows 8".

Terry Myerson will take over as corporate vice president of the Windows Phone division, having previously led engineering efforts for Windows 7 and Windows 7.5.

"In the three years Andy has been leading the phone group, we've come a long way - we reset our strategy, built a strong team that delivered WP7 and WP7.5 and created critical new partnerships and ecosystem around Windows Phone,"' Ballmer wrote.

"That is a ton of progress in a brief period of time, and I am excited for Terry and the team to keep driving forward and for Andy to dig in to a new challenge."

The move comes as Microsoft is gearing up for the 2012 launch of Windows 8, which is the company's first tablet-optimised operating system and features the Metro interface and improved support for embedded applications.