Microsoft’s Indian-American CEO inducted into U Chicago board of trustees

- ADVERTISEMENT -

Hyderabad-born Satya Nadella, who did his MBA from University of Chicago in 1997, and is the chief executive officer of Microsoft, has been elected to the University of Chicago Board of Trustees. He began his five-year term at the September meeting of the board.

“Satya is a distinguished alumnus who brings a wealth of skills and experiences to the Board of Trustees as chief executive of one of the world’s leading technology companies,” Board Chairman Joseph Neubauer is quoted saying in a Oct. 1 press release announcing Nadella’s induction. “His global perspective and deep international understanding will provide the board with crucial insights as it focuses on advancing the University’s scholarship, education and impact in Chicago and around the world,” Neubaur added.

Nadella was named chief executive officer of Microsoft in 2014 after holding leadership roles in both enterprise and consumer businesses across the company. He joined Microsoft in 1992, taking on responsibilities that included leading research and development for the online services division and serving as vice president of the Microsoft business division. Before becoming CEO, Nadella served as executive vice president of Microsoft’s cloud and enterprise group, leading its transformation to the cloud infrastructure and services business. Before joining Microsoft, Nadella was a member of the technology staff at Sun Microsystems.

“Aside from his personal expertise in technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, which itself will bring great value to the board, Satya brings a deep commitment to the values of the University and our approach to education, research and impact,” President Robert J. Zimmer said. “Moreover, he has wide-ranging insight and perspective on the evolving societies around the world and the opportunities and challenges they bring to the University,” Zimmer added.

Nadella graduated from Mangalore University with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering; He earned a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee before going to Booth. He is on the board of trustees at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and is a member of the board of directors of Starbucks.

The author of Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft’s Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone, is married and has three children.