Satya Nadella makes a good first impression as Microsoft’s new CEO

Satya Nadella made a good first impression in his first press conference as Microsoft CEO. Waxing tech talk on ubiquitous computing, while tossing in a quote from T.S. Eliot, he cut a polished, relaxed, articulate figure in introducing Office for iPad. As press conferences go, it was a modest affair. Tight script, flawless demo, nice venue — something you’d expect from Google, Facebook or Yahoo.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s first public appearance on Thursday was a hit with analysts, who gave him a thumbs up for his time on stage as the company unveiled Office for iPad. “He was very confident, obviously a whole different character than Ballmer. Much calmer,” said Carolina Milanesi, strategic insight director of Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, in an interview Thursday. “Both he and Julie White [a general manager for the Office technical marketing team] spoke very quickly, as if they had a sense of urgency, which they should have.” Milanesi praised Nadella, saying he “did a great job” in his opening remarks as he expounded on his “mobile first, cloud first” strategy. “For the first time I actually see a strategy,” Milanesi added.