Rather than finding a replacement for Raikes within Microsoft, Ballmer turned to an outsider, Juniper Networks (nasdaq: JNPR - news - people ) Chief Operating Officer Stephen Elop, to take on the high-profile job that Raikes defined.
The executive role is more senior and usually appointed from within the company, whereas the non-executive post is generally held by an "outsider" appointed for a limited term.
Labour has caused upset within the ranks of its own activists by selecting a perceived outsider to challenge for the Rotherham by-election instead of the local members' favourite.