Microsoft’s Peggy Johnson on Her Trusted Advisers

The deal maker calls on mentors from former Paramount chief Sherry Lansing to Liberty Media’s Greg Maffei

Peggy Johnson, Microsoft’s chief deal maker, says she largely relies on her gut when making big decisions but then “validates her intuition” by checking in with valued former colleagues, mentors and, first and foremost, her husband, Eric Johnson, an independent investor. Here, four of her other trusted advisers.

Navrina Singh Principal product lead, Microsoft AI

At Qualcomm, where Ms. Johnson worked for nearly 25 years, she gained insight from an informal group of women at the company known as “Sweetfest,” so named because...