PALO ALTO — Skype CMO Elisa Steele has departed the company amid Microsoft’s reorganization with plans to join Jive Software in January.

Steele took on the CMO post at Microsoft’s Skype in 2012, but marketing lead roles for specific products were eliminated as part of the company’s recent restructuring. Frank Shaw, Microsoft’s VP of communications, says Steele had been moved into a broader role in the organization.

It is understood this role included being CMO of consumer apps and services, like Bing, Internet Explorer, Lync, MSN and Outlook, as well as Skype.

Steele, however, left Microsoft in September and has now  taken on the EVP and CMO post at Jive Software, effective January 2014. In the global role, Steele will be responsible for strategy, branding, end-to-end marketing functions, product marketing, corporate communications and other go-to-market responsibilities.

Eric Brown, formerly GM for Skype (but now for all of Microsoft's consumer apps and services), told the Holmes Report Steele’s direct reports will share her duties. Over the years, Brown, has worked for Steele three times -- at Skype, Yahoo and NetApp.