 "Tech leaders cheer third CEO of Microsoft")
As Microsoft announced the appointment of Hyderabad-born Satya Nadella as its next chief executive officer (CEO), India Inc cheered in unison. And, rightly so. The move is seen not only as an outstanding achievement for the 46-year-old, but also a moment of glory for the entire country.
What makes Nadella's appointment remarkable is he is only the third CEO in Microsoft's 39-year history, after co-founder Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Besides, his name was shortlisted by the Redmond-based company after a rigorous selection process spanning about seven months, during which a number of internal and external candidates were evaluated.
"I am very happy a person of Indian origin has been filling the shoes of Bill Gates, the finest entrepreneur-and philanthropist the world has seen. I have no doubt Satya would do great job," Narayana Murthy, co-founder and executive chairman of Infosys, told Business Standard. "I have heard positive things about him from so many people. I wish him the best."
Nadella, who will head the $77-billion-revenue company, has strong ties with Hyderabad, the city where he had his schooling, before securing a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology in Mangalore. Subsequently, he moved to the US for a Master's degrees in computer science from the University of Wisconsin and in business administration from the University of Chicago. He started his career at Sun Microsystems, before joining Microsoft in 1992. At Microsoft, he helped develop Windows NT and worked at a number of other departments, mostly on the server and enterprise front.
"It is a great accomplishment for us as a country and as a tech community to see an Indian with this pedigree head the largest software company in the world…There have been lots of examples of Indians heading global corporations; but for technology, it is a first, which makes it a big deal," said Raman Roy, the Quattro Global Services CEO, regarded as one of the founders of the Indian business process outsourcing sector.
Kiran Karnik, IT sector veteran and former Nasscom president, says it is great news from a couple of points of views. "First, we, as Indians, are very happy a person from our country has gone ahead and done something so commendable. Today, he might hold the passport of any country, but he has studied here and spent his early years here in India. The fact that he will head such a premier company shows Indians are hardworking, intelligent and smart," he said.
Experts say Nadella has a strong understanding of the Microsoft culture and has been heading the businesses that hold a lot of potential. Probably, it was Nadella's performance at the company that led to his appointment as head of one of the most important segments of the company-cloud and enterprise.
"It's clearly a great choice, if you look at what Satya has achieved at Microsoft, in terms of cloud and some emerging areas. He's done substantial work in making the Azure cloud computing platform the platform of choice for enterprises. His understanding of new emerging technologies and ability to build businesses is going to be a key differentiator when Microsoft charts its course to become a devices and services company," said Krishnakumar Natarajan, CEO and managing director of Mindtree and chairman of Nasscom.
Vineet Nayyar, executive vice-chairman of Tech Mahindra said, "It's a reflection of Indian credibility and capability. Basically, US recognises talent; colour is not relevant. We wish him all the best because the situation Microsoft faces is challenging."
Nadella was responsible for bringing the company's database, Windows server and developer tools to the Azure cloud. Under his leadership, Microsoft's cloud services' revenue rose to $20.3 billion in June 2013 from $16.6 billion in 2011, when he had taken charge of the segment.
"Satya Nadella's appointment as CEO of Microsoft demonstrates its board's confidence on their internal leadership bench. It is a true testimony of the global nature of the company and a recognition of the potential of Indian talent in the global technology space," said Suresh Senapaty, executive director and chief financial officer of Wipro. "We wish Satya and Microsoft all the very best, as the company undertakes a journey to reach greater heights."
What makes Nadella's appointment remarkable is he is only the third CEO in Microsoft's 39-year history, after co-founder Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Besides, his name was shortlisted by the Redmond-based company after a rigorous selection process spanning about seven months, during which a number of internal and external candidates were evaluated.
"I am very happy a person of Indian origin has been filling the shoes of Bill Gates, the finest entrepreneur-and philanthropist the world has seen. I have no doubt Satya would do great job," Narayana Murthy, co-founder and executive chairman of Infosys, told Business Standard. "I have heard positive things about him from so many people. I wish him the best."
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N Chandrasekaran, CEO and managing director of Tata Consultancy Services, said, "The world is on the cusp of a massive digital transformation. It is a wonderful time for Satya to take over at the helm of a leading technology company such as Microsoft. It is a proud moment and I wish Satya all success."
Nadella, who will head the $77-billion-revenue company, has strong ties with Hyderabad, the city where he had his schooling, before securing a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology in Mangalore. Subsequently, he moved to the US for a Master's degrees in computer science from the University of Wisconsin and in business administration from the University of Chicago. He started his career at Sun Microsystems, before joining Microsoft in 1992. At Microsoft, he helped develop Windows NT and worked at a number of other departments, mostly on the server and enterprise front.
"It is a great accomplishment for us as a country and as a tech community to see an Indian with this pedigree head the largest software company in the world…There have been lots of examples of Indians heading global corporations; but for technology, it is a first, which makes it a big deal," said Raman Roy, the Quattro Global Services CEO, regarded as one of the founders of the Indian business process outsourcing sector.
Kiran Karnik, IT sector veteran and former Nasscom president, says it is great news from a couple of points of views. "First, we, as Indians, are very happy a person from our country has gone ahead and done something so commendable. Today, he might hold the passport of any country, but he has studied here and spent his early years here in India. The fact that he will head such a premier company shows Indians are hardworking, intelligent and smart," he said.
Experts say Nadella has a strong understanding of the Microsoft culture and has been heading the businesses that hold a lot of potential. Probably, it was Nadella's performance at the company that led to his appointment as head of one of the most important segments of the company-cloud and enterprise.
"It's clearly a great choice, if you look at what Satya has achieved at Microsoft, in terms of cloud and some emerging areas. He's done substantial work in making the Azure cloud computing platform the platform of choice for enterprises. His understanding of new emerging technologies and ability to build businesses is going to be a key differentiator when Microsoft charts its course to become a devices and services company," said Krishnakumar Natarajan, CEO and managing director of Mindtree and chairman of Nasscom.
Vineet Nayyar, executive vice-chairman of Tech Mahindra said, "It's a reflection of Indian credibility and capability. Basically, US recognises talent; colour is not relevant. We wish him all the best because the situation Microsoft faces is challenging."
Nadella was responsible for bringing the company's database, Windows server and developer tools to the Azure cloud. Under his leadership, Microsoft's cloud services' revenue rose to $20.3 billion in June 2013 from $16.6 billion in 2011, when he had taken charge of the segment.
"Satya Nadella's appointment as CEO of Microsoft demonstrates its board's confidence on their internal leadership bench. It is a true testimony of the global nature of the company and a recognition of the potential of Indian talent in the global technology space," said Suresh Senapaty, executive director and chief financial officer of Wipro. "We wish Satya and Microsoft all the very best, as the company undertakes a journey to reach greater heights."