Satya Nadella is New Microsoft CEO

Microsoft has appointed Satya Nadella as its new CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Nadella previously held the position of Executive VP of Microsoft's cloud and enterprise group. According to Microsoft sources, "As Satya Nadella becomes the third CEO of Microsoft, he brings a relentless drive for innovation and a spirit of collaboration to his new role. He joined Microsoft 22 years ago because he saw how clearly Microsoft empowers people to do magical things and ultimately make the world a better place."

During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Microsoft than Satya Nadella," said Bill Gates, Microsoft's Founder and Member of the Board of Directors. Nadella 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.

Microsoft also announced that 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. John Thompson, lead independent director for the Board of Directors, will assume the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors and remain an independent director on the Board.

THE ROAD AHEAD

Nadella in his first email as a CEO to all the Microsoft employees spelt out his vision and the opportunities that lie ahead. He remarked, "While we have seen great success, we are hungry to do more. Our industry does not respect tradition-it only respects innovation. This is a critical time for the industry and for Microsoft. Make no mistake, we are headed for greater places-as technology evolves and we evolve with and ahead of it. Our job is to ensure that Microsoft thrives in a mobile and cloud-first world."

"As we look forward, we must zero in on what Microsoft can uniquely contribute to the world. The opportunity ahead will require us to reimagine a lot of what we have done in the past for a mobile and cloud-first world, and do new things," he added.

Optimism apart, Nadella need to navigate difficult market conditions-particularly in the mobile space, and how far he can translate the tech rhetoric into reality is to be seen.