Before joining Microsoft, Gibson was with the FBI for around 20 years, just over five of which he spent with the FBI's UK operation .
Perhaps best known for his fascinating speeches on the conference circuit, Gibson has proven himself to be an expert in money laundering, online fraud and intellectual property theft.
In a statement, Microsoft said it was grateful to Ed for his efforts during his time at Microsoft.
Although few in the IT security industry will have been aware of his wide range of activities at Microsoft, Infosecurity notes that he has been highly influential in UK government circles, quietly advising on government cybersecurity plans, and helping Parliament formulate many of its IT-related legislation.
Since taking over his position at Microsoft in the spring of 2005, Gibson has proven himself to be more than capable to assume the mantle of Stuart Okin, his predecessor, who moved to Accenture.
Prior to his five year diplomatic assignment at the US Embassy in London with the FBI, Gibson was an FBI expert in the investigation of complex white-collar crime, intellectual property rights theft, and other forms of financial crime.
Working alongside a team of more than 20 security advisors, Gibson retains a sense of humour, as illustrated back in 2005, when he was hit with a phone a bill in excess of £400 after one of his PCs was infected by a rogue internet dialler.
In a 2005 presentation at the `Spam and Scams' conference, Microsoft's Gibsen gave an amusing and pertinent presentation on how rogue diallers were just one of a series of IT security threats.
"I'm so perturbed about the whole area of rogue diallers - if we don't make a concerted effort to make the internet more secure, it will be a very different place in the future", he said.
His attempts to complain to BT about the bill reportedly fell on deaf ears, and he was forced to pay the over-sized phone bill.
Despite this, he remained smilingly courteous, even to the BT representatives at the conference.
His position will be a difficult one to fill.