Much lauded at the time of his appointment, Microsoft has announced Shane Kim has quit his role as general manager of Windows Phone product marketing little over five months after taking up the position.

Microsoft claims Kim, who joined after serving as VP of Samsung's consumer and enterprise services division, is leaving the company outright due to a "personal reason."

Hello Ho

"We feel very good about the work he has done to set the team, and its new lead Eugene Ho, up for success," said Microsoft in an email.

"We wish him all the best."

Kim joined Microsoft in November, claiming he would look to "set the future direction for the Windows Phone platform" and, crucially, "accelerate Microsoft's trajectory to win the hearts and minds of consumers, carriers, device manufacturers, developers and partners."

Since then, Windows Phone has managed to gain mind share thanks to Nokia's Lumia range, though Kim's departure comes at a particularly turbulent time.

European carriers are reportedly unhappy with the performance of Nokia's Windows Phone smartphones to date according to a report by Reuters, while rumours also suggest existing handsets running the OS will miss out on the upgrade to Windows Phone 8.

[source: Redmond Channel Partner]