Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella has outlined the brand’s “mobile first, cloud first” strategy to delegates at the company’s Future Decoded event in London.

In his first UK speech since replacing Steve Ballmer as CEO in February, Nadella told the audience at Excel London that Microsoft will focus on developing “digital and life experiences” through its on-going “platform approach”.

“The metaphor that I’m using to describe our world is mobile first, cloud first,” said Nadella. “When we say mobile first, it’s not the mobility, it’s actually the mobility of the individual experience.”

He added: “The only way you are going to be able to orchestrate the mobility of these applications and data is through the cloud. That’s why the juxtaposition of cloud infrastructure and mobile experiences is where the world is going.”

Nadella said businesses seeking evolution must align “three concentric circles” representing concepts, capabilities and culture.

“I think about three concentric circles which need to click into gear for any organisation to thrive. You have to have new concepts – you can’t be beholden to concepts from the past. That needs to be complemented with new capabilities. And then, most importantly, you’ve got to have the culture into order to support those concepts and capabilities.”

He added that start-ups are vital to support the development of new technology, and that societies must invest in education to match the digitisation of economies.

“Start-ups are the lifeblood of any economy, and perhaps more so today than in the past, because the barriers to entry have significantly come down through the availability of cloud computing and the ubiquity of infrastructure and devices. It has made it possible for anyone to be able to dream of having global impact,” he said.