Ending months of search and speculation, Microsoft today, named India born Satya Nadella as its CEO. Nadella, who previously held the position of Executive Vice President of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group also became a member of the Board of Directors with immediate effect.
Satya Nadella who becomes the third CEO of Microsoft was born in Hyderabad, India and has been with Microsoft since last 22 years. His appointment at this time is seen as a critical step for Microsoft as it places Nadella in charge of the ongoing reorganization and Microsoft’s Nokia deal.
Meanwhile, Founder Bill Gates would step down as chairman and will take up as a new role of technology advisor, said Microsoft. Also, he would retain a seat in the Board of Directors. Speaking on the appointment of Satya Nadilla as CEO, Bill Gates said,
“During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Microsoft than Satya Nadella. Satya is a proven leader with hard-core engineering skills, business vision and the ability to bring people together. His vision for how technology will be used and experienced around the world is exactly what Microsoft needs as the company enters its next chapter of expanded product innovation and growth”.
On his first day as CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella sent an internal message to all Microsoft employees saying,
“Today is a very humbling day for me. It reminds me of my very first day at Microsoft, 22 years ago. Like you, I had a choice about where to come to work. I came here because I believed Microsoft was the best company in the world. It is an incredible honor for me to lead and serve this great company of ours. Steve and Bill have taken it from an idea to one of the greatest and most universally admired companies in the world. I’ve been fortunate to work closely with both Bill and Steve in my different roles at Microsoft, and as I step in as CEO, I’ve asked Bill to devote additional time to the company, focused on technology and products. I’m also looking forward to working with John Thompson as our new Chairman of the Board”.
The challenges that Satya Nadella faces are many, and his stiffest task would be to take Microsoft’s vision for mobile devices ahead where it is yet to taste considerable success. So will Satya Nadella’s appointment at the helm infuse fresh life in Microsoft’s phone hardware business? Only time will tell. As of now we wish Satya Nadella best wishes for his new role.
