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Seattle - The board member leading Microsoft's search for a new chief executive says he expects an appointment to be made early next year, the first time the board has been so specific on timing.
The world's biggest software company is taking longer than most had expected to find a new leader since Steve Ballmer announced his retirement in August, although the company gave itself 12 months to find his successor.
"I expect we'll complete our work in the early part of 2014," Microsoft lead independent director John Thompson said in a blog post on the company's website.
Thompson is leading the four-man committee to find a new CEO, which includes co-founder and chairperson Bill Gates.
Sources familiar with the search process said that the committee was down to a "handful" of candidates, including Ford Motor's CEO Alan Mulally, at least one external candidate from the technology industry and one or two internal candidates.
"We identified over 100 possible candidates, talked with several dozen and then focused our energy intensely on a group of about 20 individuals," said Thompson in the blog.
"As this group has narrowed, we've done deeper research and investigation, including with the full board."
