ED BLAND

Ed Bland | President

Ed Bland has a 20-year career in sales, marketing, finance, and product development at three Fortune 500 companies. Prior to joining Unitus, Bland was a General Manager in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft, leading the global marketing efforts for Microsoft’s $2 billion games businesses. He launched Xbox 360 in North America, Europe, and Japan in November 2005, gaining critical acclaim and commercial success. In addition, Bland led the sales team that successfully launched the original Xbox in the U.S. in November 2001 and established that platform as a core element of Microsoft’s consumer strategy.

Previously at Microsoft, Bland was a Marketing Director in the Home & Retail Division, where he led all direct marketing relating to consumer software, hardware, and e-commerce. Prior to this, Bland served as Group Product Manager of the Financial Products Group, where he managed U.S. sales and marketing activity for Microsoft’s personal finance software. Bland received numerous awards at Microsoft, including one given directly by Bill Gates for making valuable long-term contributions to Microsoft.

A visiting lecturer at the Kellogg School of Management and the University of Washington’s Executive M.B.A. program, Bland holds an M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management and a B.A. from Bowdoin College.