These are Microsoft's 15 most significant hirings and departures of 2019

• Microsoft lost and hired important executives in 2019.
• Perhaps its most significant loss is artificial intelligence leader Harry Shum, who is leaving the company next month during a crucial time for the business.
• Microsoft's hiring choices reveal some of the company's priorities, including an overall trend of hiring people with expertise in the industries to which Microsoft wants to sell.
• Read below for Microsoft's 15 biggest hires and departures of the past year.
• Click here to read more BI Prime stories

Microsoft's executive suite experienced some notable shuffles throughout the past year.

Perhaps its most significant loss is Harry Shum, the Microsoft executive charged with overseeing the artificial intelligence strategy for the entire company, who is leaving Microsoft after 23 years. Shum's departure comes at a crucial time for Microsoft's artificial intelligence business.

Shum officially leaves in February, but Microsoft confirmed his departure in November.

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Microsoft also brought on important executives during the year - and its hiring choices reveal some of the company's priorities.

One is healthcare. Microsoft in September nominated Emma Walmsley - CEO of drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline and the most powerful woman in Big Pharma - to the company's board.

The company also hired former Samsung executive David Rhew in August as the company's chief medical officer and vice president of healthcare and hired Greg Moore from his former post at Google Cloud to become the company's corporate vice president of health technology and alliances.

The selection shows Microsoft has a growing interest in the health care space as the company seeks to boost sales in its cloud computing business.

Overall, the healthcare hires are an example of a broader hiring trend at Microsoft - bringing on people with expertise in industries to which Microsoft wants to sell.

Microsoft hired Darryl Willis, Google Cloud's former vice president of oil, gas, and energy and former BP president and general manager, to oversee Microsoft's strategy for energy company customers. Microsoft also hired Bill Borden, a former managing director at Bank of American Merrill Lynch, as the company's new corporative vice president of financial services.

Here are Microsoft's biggest hires and departures announced in 2019: