Birger Steen is the CEO of Parallels, the world's leading enabler of cloud computing services.

Birger started his professional career in 1992 as an oil trader at Norwegian Oil Trading, where he opened the company's first office in the former Soviet Union. He joined McKinsey & Company in Norway in 1993. In 1996, he left McKinsey in to join his favorite client Schibsted ASA, a European media group, as Vice President of Business Development. In March 2000, he was named CEO of Scandinavia Online AB, the leading Nordic Internet portal, which was listed on the Stockholm and Oslo stock exchanges later that year. After selling the company in 2002, Birger briefly worked for the acquirer, Eniro AB, as Executive Vice President, Online, responsible for integrating the two companies.

Birger joined Microsoft in Norway in April 2002 as General Manager, Microsoft Norway. From October 2004 to June 2009, Birger was General Manager and Vice President, Microsoft Russia. During his tenure, Microsoft's operations in Russia grew 10-fold in revenues, and Microsoft established representative offices in 23 cities from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok. In 2008, Microsoft Russia was named Russia's "Best Employer" by the Wall Street Journal/Hewitt Associates. From June 2009 to August 2010, Birger served as Vice President of SMB & Distribution at Microsoft in Redmond, Washington where his team drove Microsoft's global SMB segment sales, marketing and distribution strategy.

Birger holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Science and Industrial Engineering from the Norwegian Institute of Technology in Trondheim. He also holds a degree in Russian Language and received his MBA from INSEAD in France. Birger was named "Best Top Manager" in the Russian IT industry by Kommersant/Russian Association of Managers in 2008.