- The document outlines the professional experience and accomplishments of Robert Barnes including leadership roles at Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, CommerceHub, and GoDaddy where he specialized in optimizing performance of large-scale distributed systems. - At Microsoft, Barnes improved valuation of Microsoft.com to nearly $500M, established common engineering criteria for server products, and drove operating system development enabling processing of over 1 billion transactions per day. - As AWS' first Director of Benchmarking, Barnes gained intelligence on cloud competitors and established benchmarks for cloud services.

1. VALUE-ADD SNAPSHOT
valuation for Microsoft.com
to nearly $500M by directing
implementation of www.microsoft.com,
www.microsoft.com/downloads, www.
microsoft.com/partner, and related SaaS
services, tools and infrastructure.
intelligence on
competitors in the
Cloud Service space and established AWS’
benchmarks for Cloud services as Amazon
Web Services’ first Director of Benchmarking.
product functionality
and the user
experience by establishing Common
Engineering Criteria for all Microsoft server
products, including engineering, integration,
common features and quality standards.
operating
system
development at Microsoft that enabled
the processing of more than one billion
transactions per day and helped establish
Windows as an enterprise platform.
Improved
Spearheaded
Provided
Drove
Speaking Personally...
QWhat is the secret to leading large-scale change initiatives
effectively?
A. Ensure the effort has strong executive support from the top-down, and
engage the people and teams impacted in the change to shape the plan
for change. Ensure that the change initiative adequately addresses in-flight
activities as well as new (greenfield) activities with specific timelines. For
example, all new initiatives starting in Q1 must comply with the new changes,
but existing initiatives have until Q4 to comply.
QWhat do you consider your greatest professional accomplishment?
A. I joined Microsoft to help it grow into the premier provider of
Enterprise computing software, when it was primarily known as a provider
of desktop software. I helped develop key transaction processing
capabilities that enabled world-class Enterprise capabilities, but Bill Gates
then needed us to find a way to shift perception of Microsoft. I built a
benchmark that demonstrated the world-class transaction processing
power built on Windows and was then asked to turn it into a demo on
stage with Bill Gates. The demo was a huge success and helped shift
perception about Microsoft in the Enterprise.
QHow has your international experience shaped the way you
conduct business today?
A. I’ve had the privilege to manage geographically diverse organizations
distributed across the US, Hyderabad, Beijing, Shanghai, and Cape Town. The
primary challenge in managing people spread across time zones is ensuring
high fidelity communication with low friction. Doing this in an inclusive way
with sensitivity to multiple cultures and employment laws has helped me
develop a focus on the importance of a common engineering culture.
QHow do you overcome complexity when leading resources that
span across multiple continents?
A.Create a clear definition of “done” – specific objectives with deadlines
and well-defined metrics to track progress toward completion. Ensure
strong leadership in each locale with the authority to make decisions.
Ensure there is high fidelity communication with low friction. Ensure there
is adequate face-to-face meeting between leaders to establish strong
interpersonal relationships.
Woodinville, WA • robabarnes@hotmail.com • (425) 443-2008 • www.linkedin.com/in/robabarnes
Robert Barnes... OPTIMIZING BUSINESS PERFORMANCE BY HARNESSING TECHNOLOGY
Senior Technology Engineering Executive successful in developing
large-scale, cloud-based distributed systems for industry leaders,
including Microsoft, Amazon Web Services and CommerceHub. An
expert in cloud performance benchmarking, performance validation
and troubleshooting, skilled in improving systems performance, IT
infrastructure and engineering standards. Noted for enhancing and
accelerating technology product development by building and leading
high-performance engineering organizations with transparent career
paths, clear roles and a commitment to collaboration. An early adapter
of new technologies who effectively translates complex technical and
business problems into pragmatic vision and implementation.
Optimizing Performance
Cross-Functional Teams
Agile Software Development
Performance Management/
Benchmarking
Metrics-Driven Engineering
Process Improvement
Team Building/ Leadership/
Motivation
Large-Scale
Distributed
Systems
Vendor
Management
Performance
Improvement
Multi-
Dimensional
Capabilities
IT Strategy and
Design
Change
Management
IT Deployments/
Migrations
CAREER AT A GLANCE
1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017
GoDaddy
Vice President, Service
Automation and Monitoring
CommerceHub
Senior Vice President,
Engineering
Digital Equipment Company
R&D
Technical Sales Support
Consulting
Test and Project Management
Microsoft
GM, Microsoft.com Core
Director
Product Unit Manager
Group Manager
Software Engineer
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Director of Benchmarking