Microsoft has appointed John Thompson to its board of directors. His appointment brings the board's size to 10 members.

Thompson currently serves as chief executive officer of Virtual Instruments and is former chairman and CEO of Symantec.

Previously, he held positions at IBM, including sales, marketing, software development and general manager of IBM Americas. He was also a member of IBM's World Management Council.

Thompson currently serves on the board of the United Parcel Service. He has also served on various government boards and commissions, including the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, the National Infrastructure Advisory Committee, and the Silicon Valley Blue Ribbon Task Force on Aviation Security and Technology. He also served on the board of Teach for America.