£1million + settlement for female Microsoft executive

The Telegraph reports that: 

Natalie Ayres worked at the computer software company for 15 years, rising through its ranks to become the general manager of its “Small-Medium Enterprises and Partners Group”.
The married mother was seen as an outstanding candidate and was widely tipped to succeed Alistair Baker as managing director of Microsoft UK when the position became vacant in the summer of 2006.
However, the role was handed to Gordon Frazer, a general manager at Microsoft South Africa, allegedly before Mrs Ayres had even completed the interview process. When she left at the end of that year, it was under a “compromise agreement”, which sources at the company said ran into seven figures.