Permira has appointed Julia Liuson, former Microsoft executive, as a senior adviser to its technology team in Menlo Park.
Liuson brings more than 30 years of technology experience to the firm, having most recently served as president of Microsoft’s developer division, where she oversaw products including Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, Azure developer services, and GitHub.
In her new role, Liuson will work alongside Permira’s technology sector team and portfolio company executives to accelerate artificial intelligence adoption, product development, and technical due diligence.
The appointment follows the arrival of technology investor Mike Hoffman, who joined Permira’s Menlo Park office as a partner.
Michail Zekkos, partner and co-head of technology at Permira, said: “Code is increasingly being written by agents, but great engineering remains a human discipline – the architecture, tooling and processes that make AI-native software trustworthy at scale. Few people understand that distinction as well as Julia, who led Microsoft’s Developer Division and helped bring Copilot to millions of developers. We’re delighted to have her at Permira to help our portfolio companies – which are currently generating over $800m (£593m) of AI-native ARR, growing at more than 100% year-on-year – to stay ahead of the curve.”
Ryan Lanpher, partner and co-head of technology at Permira, said: “Few people in the world today have shaped how software gets built the way Julia did during her time at Microsoft. She ran the division that gave engineers Visual Studio, VS Code and GitHub, the tools an entire generation of developers grew up on. As each of our portfolio companies race to become AI-first, having Julia’s experience in product, as well as her judgment and extensive network, on our side is a huge competitive advantage as we continue to focus on our portfolio delivering AI innovation at scale.”
Julia Liuson, senior adviser at Permira, said: “Throughout my career, I have always believed that the best technology businesses are built with a relentless focus on product and customers. That same product-first philosophy, combined with genuine entrepreneurship and a highly collaborative culture, is what attracted me to Permira.
“I’m thrilled to join Michail, Ryan and the team and look forward to working alongside them and their portfolio companies to accelerate AI adoption and help create products that developers and customers love.”
