Microsoft’s board of directors has appointed Satya Nadella chief executive officer and member of the board of directors effective immediately.
Previously executive vice president of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group, Nadella joined the company in 1992. Since then the business leader has spearheaded major strategy and technical shifts across the company’s portfolio of products and services, most notably the company’s move to the cloud and the development of one of the largest cloud infrastructures in the world supporting Bing, Xbox, Office and other services. During his tenure overseeing Microsoft’s Server and Tools Business, the division outperformed the market and took share from competitors.
The computer company also announced its founder Bill Gates, previously chairman of the board of directors, will assume a new role on the board as founder and technology advisor, and will devote more time to the company, supporting Nadella in shaping technology and product direction.
Gates explained: “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.”
Meanwhile, Nadella commented: “Microsoft is one of those rare companies to have truly revolutionised the world through technology, and I couldn’t be more honoured to have been chosen to lead the company.
“The opportunity ahead for Microsoft is vast, but to seize it, we must focus clearly, move faster and continue to transform. A big part of my job is to accelerate our ability to bring innovative products to our customers more quickly.”
