Douglas J. Burgum
Doug Burgum was a senior vice president for Microsoft Corp., where he led the Business
Solutions group.
Before joining Microsoft, Mr. Burgum was chairman and CEO of Great Plains Software Inc.
Microsoft acquired Great Plains for $1.1 billion in 2001. Mr. Burgum joined Great Plains as
a startup at age 26 in 1983 and provided the initial seed capital for the company. Mortgaging
some farmland he had inherited from his father, he literally “bet the farm” on Great Plains.
A North Dakota native, he earned his BA from North Dakota State University in 1978 and
his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1980. He received an honorary
doctorate from North Dakota State University in 2000.
Mr. Burgum created the Doug Burgum Family Foundation, which focuses its charitable
giving on youth and education. He currently serves on the boards of directors for
SuccessFactors Inc., Intelligent InSites, and Arthur Companies Inc., a privately held
diversified agribusiness, and is an investment partner with Arthur Ventures. In 2007,
he founded Kilbourne Group, whose mission is to save and restore historic buildings
with green initiatives in Fargo, North Dakota.
He lives near Fargo with his three children.