Chief Executive Officer since 2014, Satya Nadella is now also Chairman of the Group Board of Directors.
He thus strengthens his power over the group of technologies that he has rejuvenated to merge into a new era.
Satya Nadella was unanimously elected chairman of the board, a position where he will use his intimate knowledge of the business to identify key risks and promote the right strategy, Microsoft said.
Mr. Nadella, who took over from Steve Ballmer in February 2014, put Microsoft more in tune with a new technological environment dominated by smartphone-centric rivals like Apple and Google.
When he took the reins of the group, some feared that Microsoft had become a dinosaur.
New impetus
Nadella is considered to have given new impetus to the group founded in 1975, which had long focused on publishing software for computers.
He demanded a massive reorganization, cutting 18,000 jobs, or 14% of the total workforce, via a plan to simplify the structure and integrate the mobile division of the Finnish group Nokia.
Nadella, 53, has made cloud computing a priority that has become a growth engine for the tech giant based in Redmond, Wash.
Microsoft has built its empire on software like Windows and Office.
It is due to present next week a new generation of its Windows operating system, which is fitted to three-quarters of the world's desktops according to analysts.
Under Nadella's leadership, Microsoft has put more emphasis on software rentals and services hosted in data centers, growing its dedicated platform, called Azure.
The era of personal computers has been shaken by the rise of smartphones and tablets, but has seen a near renaissance during the pandemic, when users have used their homes to work, play and study.
Microsoft also announced Wednesday a dividend of 56 cents per share, which will be paid in September.