India-born Nadella named Microsoft CEO, to "ruthlessly" remove obstacles in innovation

India-born Satya Nadella was today named by Microsoft as the new CEO of the 78 billion USD tech giant and the company veteran signalled he would focus on "ruthlessly" removing any obstacles to innovation in the world's largest software firm.

46-year-old Nadella, who takes over as the third CEO of the Redmond-based firm, called his appointment "humbling" and attributed his leadership capabilities to playing cricket.

A native of Hyderabad, Nadella is the first Indian to head the iconic firm in its 38-year history, ending months of speculation as to who would succeed the retiring Steve Balmer. Nadella, along with Google's Sundar Pichai, were among the contenders.
 

A cricket enthusiast, Nadella, who had joined Microsoft in 1992, previously served as the Executive Vice President of Cloud and Enterprise Group. He led the creation of Microsoft's Internet-based, or "cloud," computing services.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates, currently Chairman, will don a new hat of technology adviser and retain a seat on the board, the company said in a statement.

John Thompson, who is currently lead independent director, will succeed Gates as Chairman.

"As Satya Nadella becomes the third CEO of Microsoft, he brings a relentless drive for innovation and a spirit of collaboration to this new role," Microsoft said in a statement announcing Nadella's appointment.

Nadella, in a videotaped statement, said, "The first thing I want to do and focus on is ruthlessly remove any obstacles that allow us to innovate. And then focus all that innovation on things that Microsoft can uniquely do."

In an email to employees on first day as CEO, Nadella also paraphrased a quote from Oscar Wilde--"We need to believe in the impossible and remove the improbable".

Praising "Satya" as a "proven leader" with hard-core engineering skills, business vision and the ability to bring people together, Gates said, "During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Microsoft than Satya Nadella."

With his appointment, Nadella joins a select group of India-origin executives steering top global companies.

Among the prominent Indians at the helm include PepsiCo Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Indra Nooyi, MasterCard president and chief executive officer Ajay Banga and Deutsche Bank Co-CEO Anshu Jain.

Nadella attributed his rise to the top to cricket.

"I think playiong cricket taught me more about working in teams and leadership that has stayed with me throughout my career," he said.