India / Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to visit India fom February 24-26

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will share his vision for the future of technology and how Microsoft is driving digital transformation in India during his three-day trip to India, starting Monday. Nadella’s visit coincides with the arrival of US President Donald Trump.

Microsoft’s India-born CEO will visit Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi during 24-26 February. In Mumbai and Bengaluru, Nadella will deliver the opening keynote at the 'Future Decoded CEO Summits'. The summit will include fireside chats where Microsoft leaders and other industry stalwarts will deliberate on the role that technology will play in shaping the world in the next decade. There will also be a session with SBI Foundation on Technology for people with Disabilities, with Rajnish Kumar, Chairman, State Bank of India and Jean Philippe Courtois, EVP and President, Global Sales - Marketing and Operations, Microsoft.

In Delhi, Nadella will meet a group of students, developers and entrepreneurs. Last year, Microsoft rolled out its K12 Education Transformation Framework in schools across India to empower students with future-ready skills and digitally transform education by bringing in AI, gamification, personalization and simplifying STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) learning for students.

Nadella is likely to meet the PM and other government functionaries to show his commitment and partnership with the present government as they build a Digital India.

“India remains a top market for Microsoft, and Satya Nadella does visit almost annually. This year their president Brad Smith is also visiting, in April. Government engagement is a major focus for Microsoft top management in India for the past two decades, and all the more now with expanding digital plans, and also rising nationalist resistance to global digital and tech companies," says Prasanto K Roy, tech and policy consultant.

Nadella supports immigration and has been quoted as saying that he would love to see a Bangladesh immigrant who came to India and created the next unicorn in India or became the next CEO of Infosys. This resulted in a backlash in India from some quarters, with a few political leaders also criticising his remarks. In that backdrop, Nadella would be keen to reassure the government of Microsoft's continued support for Indian law and policies.

Microsoft launched its India operations in 1990 and for the past 30 years has built a strong engineering presence in India, playing a major role in digital transformation of the country.

Last week, the software giant announced the launch of its third India Development Centre (IDC) in Noida, after opening two such premier engineering and innovation hubs in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The innovation hub is closely aligned with Microsoft’s commitment to tapping India’s world class engineering talent to create solutions for global impact.

Combined with its cloud services, AI and other tech offerings, Microsoft is looking to accelerate digital transformation across Indian start-ups, businesses, and government organizations. Nadella’s visit will only buttress this further.

Microsoft India has reported more than $1 billion in revenue last financial year. Globally, it is one of the most valuable companies in the world, crossing a market capitalization of over $1 trillion last year.