New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS) Elevation of Hyderabad-born Satya Nadella as chief executive officer of technology giant Microsoft is a reflection of rising India’s talent globally and it would inspire professionals across the world, business leaders and experts said.
“It’s pretty inspiring. An Indian becoming CEO of Microsoft is an exceptional achievement. We are really proud of it,” said Sachin Bansal, co-founder and chief executive officer of India’s largest e-commerce site Flipkart.
He said Nadella’s elevation is a reflection of rising Indian professionals influence at the global business sphere.
“It should be inspiring for everybody. Indians across the world are doing pretty well,” Bansal told IANS.
Ending months of speculations, the world’s largest software firm Microsoft Tuesday named 46-year-old Nadella as successor Steve Balmer, who retires.
Nadella is the third CEO in Redmond-based Microsoft’s 38-year history after founder Bill Gates and Steve Balmer, who retired Tuesday.
Vice president of software product management at Motorola Mobility, a Google group company, Punit Soni said Satya Nadella has got what he deserved and his elevation is a testimony that Indian talent is being respected and recognised globally.
“Microsoft appointment is very good. It’s a proud moment for Indians. If you do well you get rewarded. This is what has happened in the case of Satya Nadella,” Soni, who works with Microsoft’s biggest competitor Google group company, told IANS.
“We fell very very inspired and proud,” Soni added.
Chairperson and managing director of Biocon Limited Kiran Mazumdar Shaw expressed similar view terming Nadella’s elevation a national pride.
“A great moment of national pride to see Satya Nadella becoming the CEO of Microsoft,” Shaw said.
Nadella joined Microsoft in 1992 and has held various senior positions. He will get an annual base salary of $1.2 million. Taking into account bonuses and stock awards, his annual compensation will reach $18 million or nearly Rs.112 crore, according to a copy of Nadella’s new employment agreement submitted by the company to US market regulator Securities and Exchange Commission.
“India is producing world leaders. There are a lot of Indians in leadership position in Fortune 500 companies. It is very inspiring for sure. It will motivate lot of Indians,” said Binny Bansal, chief operating officer and co-founder of Flipkart.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram said the new Nadella’s appointment is a reflection of the quality of Indian students and professionals.
Chidambaram said Nadella has been elevated to the CEO position because “he acquired that professional edge which places him above the Chinese counterpart or an American counterpart or European counterpart.”
Nadella attended Hyderabad Public School in Begumpet and earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communication from the Manipal University before moving to the US.
“Congratulations to Satya Nadella, an alumni of the Hyderabad Public School, Hyderabad, AP (Andhra Pradesh), my alma mater, for his recognition at Microsoft,” India’s Minister of Human Resource Development MM Pallam Raju said on the micro-blogging site twitter.
(Gyanendra Kumar Keshri can be reached at gyanendra.k@ians.in)