William Morris Endeavor Hires Former Microsoft Finance Chief

William Morris Endeavor is already planning some big personnel moves, less than a week after striking a deal for a big peer in a bid for expansion.

The talent agency plans to announce on Monday that it has hired Peter Klein, who served as Microsoft‘s chief financial officer until June, as its finance chief, effective immediately. When its $2.4 billion takeover of IMG Worldwide is completed, Mr. Klein will be the C.F.O. of that agency as well.

His role is a new one for both companies.

And when William Morris Endeavor and IMG finally unite at some point, he is likely to serve as chief financial officer for the agency powerhouse.

The hiring of Mr. Klein is the first move by William Morris Endeavor and its backer, the investment firm Silver Lake, to put their stamp on IMG after winning the agency in a heated bidding war.

Mr. Klein is best known for his 11 years at Microsoft, where he rose through the ranks of a number of subsidiaries to become the technology giant’s finance chief from 2009 until this spring. He previously worked at the likes of McCaw Ceullular, Orca Bay Capital and Homegrocer.com.

He had become acquainted with Silver Lake when Microsoft bought Skype from the investment firm, and later when the software behemoth agreed to help support Silver Lake’s takeover of Dell.

Silver Lake executives, including its senior deal maker, Egon Durban, first broached the idea of bringing Mr. Klein into the William Morris Endeavor fold earlier this year, according to people briefed on the matter. (Silver Lake already owns a 31 percent stake in the agency, and will own about 51 percent of the combined William Morris Endeavor and IMG.)

As talks progressed, the agency’s co-chief executives, Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell, also became involved.

“Peter’s impressive track record and international experience will be a tremendous asset as we begin a new and exciting chapter in our company’s history,” Mr. Whitesell and Mr. Emanuel said in a statement. “Peter’s proven ability to structure and manage teams on a global scale, and bring rigor and organizational effectiveness to businesses large and small, will help to strengthen both WME and IMG.”

Mr. Klein’s job will be to oversee the financial operations of both companies, including what many in the industry expect to be big cost cuts. But during his discussions over the chief financial officer job, he expressed interest in the growing nature of both businesses, something that Silver Lake and William Morris Endeavor hope will eventually become a gateway to digital content.

“I am thrilled to be joining Ari, Patrick and the teams at WME and IMG at such an important time,” Mr. Klein said. “The combination of WME and IMG creates a unique global platform in sports and entertainment, with tremendous growth potential.”