Ford Motor Co chief executive officer Alan Mulally and Microsoft executive Satya Nadella are the frontrunners in Microsoft’s search for a new CEO, Bloomberg reports ‘people familiar with the matter’ as having said.
Another internal candidate, Tony Bates, and Stephen Elop, former CEO of Nokia, are still under consideration, although less likely to replace outgoing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Bloomberg reported.
Despite the focus on Mulally and Nadella at the moment, other candidates could still emerge as top contenders, one of Bloomberg’s sources said. The sources asked not to be identified because Microsoft’s board deliberations are private.
In August, Ballmer announced he would retire within the next 12 months, as Microsoft strives to transform itself from a software company to a devices and services provider.
Microsoft’s chairman and co-founder Bill Gates said the company’s board met on 18 November to discuss the search for a new CEO. He added he and other directors have met with many candidates, and declined to give a timeline for announcing Ballmer’s replacement.
Microsoft’s board is reportedly aiming to have chosen a new CEO this year, though an announcement could be delayed until early next year.
“It’s a complex role to fill,” Bloomberg reported Gates as having said.
