As a technology PR agency in Manchester, we always keep an eye out for what’s going on with the big tech firms. So, we were interested to see that after six months of speculation, Microsoft finally announced the appointment of its new CEO this week. Only the third CEO in the company’s history Satya Nadella, 46, joins Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer in the technology company’s hall of fame.
A long-time Microsoft employee, Nadella, 46, joined the company 22 years ago. Most recently he held the position as head of Cloud and Enterprise and is credited in achieving the success and growth in Microsoft’s Cloud OS, which is used by the likes of Bing and Skype (although keep in mind that both are Microsoft-owned companies).
Nadella is also an engineer, like Gates before him but in direct contrast to the unpopular Ballmer who came from a business development background. All three however, represent nearly 100 years of Microsoft experience.
So is Nadella’s appointment a tactical one? He certainly doesn’t have any experience of running a company – let alone one of Microsoft’s size. However, with his engineering background and his leadership of the company’s Cloud and Enterprise division, he does seem well place in spearheading the company’s continued move into the cloud. Moreover, it’s his experience of delivering technology as a service rather than delivering simply software that Microsoft needs more than ever, if it’s to retain its position.
In the press release announcing his appointment, Nadella says: “Many companies aspire to change the world. But very few have all the elements required: talent, resources and perseverance. Microsoft has proven that it has all three in abundance.” Only time will tell if Nadella is the man to take advantage of that abundance.
