In new high for Microsoft’s India-born Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella. He has now occupied the top spot in Fortune’s Businessperson of the Year 2019 list, an annual compilation that also includes Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga and Arista head Jayshree Ullal.
Nadella succeeded Steve Ballmer in 2014 . He led a giant round of layoffs and flattened the organization, getting rid of middle managers. Before becoming CEO, he was the executive vice president of Microsoft’s cloud and enterprise group, responsible for building and running the company’s computing platforms.
Fortune’s annual Businessperson of the Year list features 20 business leaders “who tackled audacious goals, overcame impossible odds, found creative solutions”. The list is topped by Nadella, who has been at the helm of the technology giant since 2014.
“In a year dominated by political chaos and bluster, it was a rare brand of steady even quiet leadership that won the day in the business world. And no one epitomises that brand of obsessively results-driven, team-based leadership more than our new No. 1 Businessperson of the Year,” Fortune said.