Satya Nadella's elevation an inspiration, say Indian business leaders

"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 the rising influence of Indian professionals.

"It should be inspiring for everybody. Indians across the world are doing pretty well," Bansal told IANS.

On Tuesday, Microsoft named Hyderabad-born Nadella as the successor to Steve Ballmer.

Hailing the appointment of India-born Satya Nadella as Microsoft's new Chief Executive Officer, Microsoft India Chairman Bhaskar Pramanik said it is a proud moment for the company.

"We, in India, are extremely excited about Satya's appointment as CEO. It is indeed a proud moment for our company to appoint a 22-year veteran as the CEO. It shows the depth of our leadership talent and the opportunity Microsoft provides. India has been an important part of Microsoft's growth for over 20 years," Pramanik said in a statement.

"As we start this new chapter in our company, India will continue to be an important place for Microsoft," he adeed.

Nadella, 46, becomes the third CEO of Microsoft, which is expanding its focus to devices and cloud infrastructure.

(Also see: Meet Satya Nadella, the new Microsoft CEO)

Vice President of Software Product Management at Motorola Mobility, 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 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.