Microsoft named Satya Nadella, Chief Executive Officer, as its new chairman of the company succussing John Thompson. Microsoft said Thompson will serve as lead independent director. Satya Nadella took over as CEO in 2014. He has been instrumental in scaling up Microsoft’s business and under his leadership, Microsoft acquired LinkedIn, Nuance Communications, and ZeniMax.
“In this role, Nadella will lead the work to set the agenda for the board, leveraging his deep understanding of the business to elevate the right strategic opportunities and identify key risks and mitigation approaches for the board’s review. As lead independent director, Thompson will retain significant authority including providing input on behalf of the independent directors on board agendas, calling meetings of the independent directors, setting agendas for executive sessions, and leading performance evaluations of the CEO” Microsoft said in a statement.
