Microsoft yesterday announced that the board’s independent directors have elected Satya Nadella as the chairman of the board, and elected John W. Thompson as lead independent director.

Here’s what Satya Nadella and John W. Thompson will do in their new roles:

In this role, Nadella will lead the work to set the agenda for the board, leveraging his deep understanding of the business to elevate the right strategic opportunities and identify key risks and mitigation approaches for the board’s review. As lead independent director, Thompson will retain significant authority including providing input on behalf of the independent directors on board agendas, calling meetings of the independent directors, setting agendas for executive sessions, and leading performance evaluations of the CEO.

Microsoft board also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.56 per share. The dividend is payable Sept. 9, 2021, to shareholders of record on Aug. 19, 2021. The ex-dividend date will be Aug. 18, 2021.

Source: Microsoft