Satya Nadella, MBA’97, 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.
“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. 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,” said Board Chairman Joseph Neubauer, MBA’65. “We welcome Satya to the board and look forward to working with him at an important and ambitious time for the University.”
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.
“We are very fortunate to have Satya join the Board of Trustees. 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. We all greatly look forward to working with Satya in his new role in the coming years.”
Originally from Hyderabad, India, Nadella earned his MBA in 1997 from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Mangalore University in India and a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Nadella serves 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.
Nadella, who is author of Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone, is married and has three children.
—Prof. Jacqueline Stewart
