1:30 PM Elop's appointment at Nokia kicked off a series of upper-level changes

Sarah Thomas, Director, Women in Comms

February 7, 2011

1 Min Read
Nokia's History of Change

1:30 PM -- When Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) announces a number of executive changes this Friday, it won't be the first time the Finnish company has switched out leaders. (See Top 5 Candidates for Nokia's Exec Shakeup.)

Executive changes at Nokia have been afoot for a while now, starting with the ousting of Finnish CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, replaced by Stephen Elop, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT)'s former business division chief, in September. (See Nokia Dumps CEO, Hires Elop and Nokia Appoints New CEO.)

Since then, Nokia's musical chairs have continued:

  • Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia EVP and head of the smartphone division, stepped down just one month after Elop took the helm, reportedly miffed he wasn't chosen as CEO. (See Nokia Confirms Vanjoki Exit.)

  • Around the same time as Vanjoki left, Ari Jaaksi, VP of MeeGo devices, jumped ship as well.

  • Alberto Torres, Jaaksi's former boss, now runs the MeeGo computers division as EVP, a position he's had since July 2009. (See Nokia Creates Solutions Unit.)

  • Nokia hired ex-Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) exec Jerri DeVard as the company's first chief marketing officer back in November for a Jan. 1 start date. (See Nokia Appoints CMO .)

  • Jorma Ollila, chairman of Nokia's board of directors, plans to step down in 2012. (See Nokia Appoints CMO .)

Who's next in Nokia's revolving door? Let us know your predictions in the comments.

— Sarah Reedy, Senior Reporter, Light Reading Mobile

About the Author(s)

Sarah Thomas

Director, Women in Comms

Sarah Thomas's love affair with communications began in 2003 when she bought her first cellphone, a pink RAZR, which she duly "bedazzled" with the help of superglue and her dad.

She joined the editorial staff at Light Reading in 2010 and has been covering mobile technologies ever since. Sarah got her start covering telecom in 2007 at Telephony, later Connected Planet, may it rest in peace. Her non-telecom work experience includes a brief foray into public relations at Fleishman-Hillard (her cussin' upset the clients) and a hodge-podge of internships, including spells at Ingram's (Kansas City's business magazine), American Spa magazine (where she was Chief Hot-Tub Correspondent), and the tweens' quiz bible, QuizFest, in NYC.

As Editorial Operations Director, a role she took on in January 2015, Sarah is responsible for the day-to-day management of the non-news content elements on Light Reading.

Sarah received her Bachelor's in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She lives in Chicago with her 3DTV, her iPad and a drawer full of smartphone cords.

Away from the world of telecom journalism, Sarah likes to dabble in monster truck racing, becoming part of Team Bigfoot in 2009.

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