Nokia's Pertti Korhonen to head Elektrobit Group

Elektrobit aims to reduce dependence on mobile giant

print this

The wireless technology and production automation specialist Elektrobit Group is to get a new boss.
      Effective from June 1st, Elektrobit's new CEO will be Pertti Korhonen, 44, M.Sc. (Electronics Eng.), who is presently the Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer of Nokia Plc.
      Korhonen has been a Group Executive Board member of Nokia since 2002. His abilities were already noted earlier, when he was mentioned as a possible successor candidate to Nokia CEO Jorma Ollila. This was before Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo was confirmed to follow Ollila at the Nokia helm.
      Korhonen justifies the decision to leave Nokia by his quest for new challenges. His career in the mobile phone giant spans a period of nearly 20 years. He says he reached the decision to leave in a matter of a couple of weeks.
      "This offer assured me it was time to turn a new leaf in my career development", Korhonen explains.
      In addition to Korhonen, another former Nokia executive, Dr. Jukka Tapani Bergqvist, 48, also looks set to become a new key figure at Elektrobit. He has been nominated for a position as a part-time chairman of the board.
      Bergqvist left Nokia in January 2005 at the same time as the head of the company's mobile networks unit, Sari Baldauf. Bergqvist was widely regarded as Baldauf's right-hand man.
     
Korhonen and Bergqvist, together with Elektrobit's present leadership, took part in the Wednesday press conference on the company's last year's result.
      The current CEO Juha Hulkko reported that he wanted to step aside this summer, while Elektrobit aims for "the next level" under the new leadership.
      In Hulkko's words this means that "business activities are directed into new growth areas without adding to our dependency on mobile phone manufacturers."
      From the start, Nokia has been one of Elektrobit's most important clients. Now growth is being sought elsewhere.
      Elektrobit promises to elaborate on its new strategy later this spring.
     
Meanwhile, Hulkko will continue both as a member of the board and a part-owner with a 22 percent share of the company. Elektrobit was established by Hulkko and his father Veikko Hulkko in 1985.
      Currently Elektrobit has more than 40,000 shareholders.
      Korhonen's tasks in Nokia will be divided between Senior Vice-President of Enterprise Solutions Niklas Savander, 43, and Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer, Tero Ojanperä, 39. Savander will also become a board member at Nokia.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Nokia's Ollila backs successor Kallasvuo despite tax fraud conviction (27.1.2006)
  Sari Baldauf to join board of directors at computer giant Hewlett-Packard (25.1.2006)
  Jorma Ollila to become non-executive chairman at Royal Dutch Shell (4.8.2005)
  BREAKING NEWS: Resignations at Nokia Networks; Baldauf announces departure (3.12.2004)

Links:
  Elektrobit

Helsingin Sanomat