Scott Oki
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Scott Oki (born October 5, 1948 in Seattle, Washington) is a former senior vice-president of sales and marketing for Microsoft who conceived and built Microsoft's international operations. Oki also played a crucial role in Microsoft's rapid domestic growth during the 1980s.
Born to a Japanese-American family, Oki attended the University of Washington, but left after 18 months to join the Air Force. While in the service he took courses at the University of Colorado. After he left the service in 1974, he went on to receive a BA in accounting and information systems and earned an MBA the following year. After holding several computer-related jobs, Oki went to work for Microsoft in 1982.
Oki built Microsoft's international operations, and within two years it was more profitable than Microsoft's domestic operation. Bill Gates then made him Vice President of Domestic Operation, and within five years, the company's sales rose from $100 million to $1 billion. One of Oki's major contributions to Microsoft's success during that time was convincing Bill Gates and the board of directors to center product development and marketing efforts around Windows instead of OS/2. By the time he retired Oki was overseeing 3,000 employees.
When Oki retired in 1992, he reportedly cashed in stock options estimated at $100 million. He now runs the non-profit Oki Foundation, owns several golf courses, and serves on dozens of advisory boards and boards of directors for both for-profit and non-profit companies. Oki is the Co-Chair of the United Way of King County Campaign Board and Co-Chair of the Million Dollar Roundtable, Founder and Chairman of the Japanese American Chamber of Commerce, Founder and Co-President of the Chief Seattle Council Boy Scout Foundation, Co-Founder of Sounders For Kids, Co-Founder of America's Foundation for Chess, and Co-Founder of Social Venture Partners. He is a past-President of the Board of Regents for the University of Washington and the immediate past Chair of the Children's Hospital Foundation. Scott also serves on the national boards for United Way of America, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Japanese American National Museum, and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation.
