Nokia has dismissed reports saying that its chairman Jorma Ollila could step down in 2012 as “speculative reading”. Scandinavian reports had said the move would clear the way for newly appointed CEO Stephen Elop to turn around the ailing Finnish vendor….
Nokia has dismissed reports saying that its chairman Jorma Ollila could step down in 2012 as “speculative reading”. Scandinavian reports had said the move would clear the way for newly appointed CEO Stephen Elop to turn around the ailing Finnish vendor. The spokesperson clarified that Ollila had told a press conference that he expected to stay on board, assuming he was reelected at the AGM. She did acknowledge that Ollila publicly indicated when he was elected in 2005 that he did not intend his chairmanship to be “forever”.
A resignation that has taken place is that of Anssi Vanjoki, who announced he will depart his position as head of Nokia’s smartphone business, which has been facing heavy competition from rivals Apple and Google.
The spokesperson added that Vanjoki’s notice period is six months, during which time he will continue in his current duties.
Nokia announced last week that it had appointed Microsoft executive Stephen Elop to replace CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo on September 21.
Welcoming that announcement, RBS analyst Didier Scemama told TelecomFinance that the next step for Elop would be to surround himself with a team he can trust. Nokia’s entire top management could be under threat if they continue to be perceived as unwilling to take bold steps in the smartphone market, he said.
According to the analyst, Elop faces heavy resistance implementing the crucial changes that are needed at Nokia, which include embracing third party operating systems such as Google’s Android.
