Who is Satya Nadella? The new CEO's profound impact on Microsoft Dynamics

Satya Nadella has now been named Microsoft's new CEO, the unanimous choice of the company's board of directors and only the third chief executive in the company's history. 

Nadella has been with Microsoft since 1992, working in and leading several divisions in that time. In the early-2000's, as he ascended through the management ranks, he became a leader of a group that would become Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) and, eventually, today's Microsoft Dynamics business.

Nadella's leadership of Dynamics is a popular topic of conversation when veterans of the Dynamics ecosystem talk about the new CEO. He shaped the culture of the team during his time. And he knows the roots of the Dynamics business better than nearly any other company executive - having played a major part in shaping the group. And, the thinking goes, Nadella likely appreciates Dynamics ERP and CRM more than would executives with different backgrounds.

Nadella's management style

According to multiple accounts shared with MSDynamicsWorld.com of Nadella's leadership of the Dynamics team, Microsoft's new CEO was respected and admired by both his direct reports and those lower down in the organization. By all accounts, he departed the Dynamics group with the full respect and admiration of the team he led.

So, what was it like working for the future CEO of Microsoft when he ran Dynamics? Past team members describe a manager clearly on the way up the Microsoft org structure - a bright, technology-focused executive who pushed hard for constantly improving results. And unlike some other notable Microsoft managers ...