Microsoft Corp. said its chief product officer is leaving, a significant departure for the company’s hardware division.

Panos Panay is exiting effective immediately, Rajesh Jha, executive vice president of the experiences and devices group, announced in an email to employees on Monday.

Panay, who had been with Microsoft since 2004, was central to the company’s hardware efforts in his role leading the Surface computer division and most recently heading the Windows division. Yusuf Mehdi will inherit part of Panay’s role, Jha said.

“Thank you, Panos, for your impact on our products, culture, company, and industry over the past two decades,” Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said in a statement, adding that the company will “remain steadfast and convicted in our strategy.”

(Corrects name spellings in the third paragraph.)