Jill Tracie Nichols

Jill Tracie Nichols is founder and chief executive officer of the Tracie Group - a boutique communications agency for visionary leaders.

Prior to founding the Tracie Group, Jill was chief of staff to Microsoft’s new CEO, Satya Nadella. She spearheaded Nadella’s transition and launch, led the Office of the CEO and was accountable for all of Nadella’s global communications. Jill also partnered closely with Nadella and his leadership team to drive culture change. Before this, Jill directed Steve Ballmer’s communications while leading a cross-company strategy and media influencer team. Prior, Jill spent about 10 years in Human Resources at Microsoft, Avaya and Lucent Technologies where she designed and implemented a variety of people programs and led broad scale global change initiatives.

Jill grew-up in Edison, NJ and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Houghton College where she studied Creative Writing and Communications. She is co-author of Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft’s Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone. Years ago, Jill adopted two teenage girls and developed a passion for helping young women reach their full potential. Jill and her husband Mike currently call Seattle home.