Microsoft chief pockets $84m package

Reports reveal the figure is 11 times the amount Nadella was paid before taking on CEO role

Despite his gaffe over women’s pay packets, Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella is quids in since taking the top job at the software giant.

According to Bloomberg, a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission summary compensation table, revealed that Nadella has been given a compensation package worth as much as $84.3m.

Nadella, who became CEO in February this year, was granted share awards worth around $59.2m in connection with his promotion, and received a one-time retention award worth $13.5m.

To get his stock awards, Nadella needs to ensure Microsoft outperforms 60 per cent of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, the filing revealed. Should the vendor outperform 80 per cent of the Index, he could trouser shares worth $88.8m.

For the current fiscal year, Nadella is paid around $18m, including a salary of $1.2m, a cash bonus of three times base pay and a stock award worth $13.2m.

However, after a faux pas at a women in computing conference earlier this month, Nadella is facing a backlash from a feminist group after he appeared to imply women shouldn’t actually push for a promotion/payrise, but should wait for karma to take its course and have "faith in the system".

His response was to a question from on-stage interviewer Maria Klawe, who asked him if he had any advice for women who aren't comfortable asking for a raise.

He later acknowledged in an email to Microsoft employees that he had answered the question “completely wrong”.