Nokia Scrambles Leadership Positions

Nokia is making several changes to its group leadership team. Corporate affairs and Technologies chiefs are heading for the exit while Finland’s former ambassador to the US Mikko Hautala is appointed to a newly created role.

Hautala is set to join the company at the start of November as chief geopolitical and government relations officer. He will lead part of what is currently the company’s corporate affairs team. Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark said that his vast experience, excellent networks, and deep understanding of international diplomacy will be hugely valuable to Nokia as geopolitical factors and government policies increasingly shape our operating environment.

Before being Finland’s ambassador to the US, Hautala spent four years as the country’s ambassador to Russia. His appointment comes as the company announced a plan to split its corporate affairs team in two, with half coming under Communications and the remainder being Geopolitical and Government Relations. In a related move, its VP of corporate affairs programs and corporate communications Louise Fisk was promoted to chief communications officer and joined the company’s group leadership team.

Nokia chief corporate affairs officer Melissa Schoeb is set to leave the company alongside the president of Nokia Technologies Jenni Lukander. Both will depart at the end of 2024 but will step down from the vendor’s leadership team immediately. Its chief licensing officer Patrik Hammaren will lead the Technologies division on an interim basis until Lukander’s permanent replacement is found and will join Nokia’s leadership team.