Microsoft’s board of directors has appointed CEO Satya nadella as chairman, marking the first time anyone has held both positions since the company’s co-founder, Bill Gates, stepped down as chief executive in 2000.
The change is the latest recognition of the role Nadella has played in revitalizing the tech giant. During his seven-year tenure as CEO, Microsoft witnessed sharp growth of its Azure cloud computing, productivity and games divisions. Nadella also oversaw several successful acquisitions including Minecraft, LinkedIn, GitHub and, more recently, the gaming giant ZeniMax.
Today, Microsoft is the second most valued company in the world behind Apple with a market value of over $ 1.9 trillion.
“In this role, Nadella will lead the work to set the board’s agenda, leveraging her in-depth understanding of the business to elevate the right strategic opportunities and identify key risks and business approaches. ‘mitigation for the board’s review, “Microsoft said in its announcement.
As part of the reshuffle, former Chairman John W. Thompson will resume his role as Lead Independent Director. The move comes a year after Gates resigned from Microsoft’s board in the midst of an investigation into his relationship with a Microsoft employee, despite still being Nadella’s advisor.
According to Financial Time and The Wall Street Journal, the company’s board of directors touted the change as a natural extension of Nadella’s leadership, and a move that has been informally discussed since late last year.
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