Nokia has continued to refresh its executive management team, this time with a new chief financial officer. The company says that Marco Wirén will replace Kristian Pullola as CFO and member of the Group Leadership Team when he joins the company September 1, 2020. Wirén, who will be based at the company’s Espoo, Finland, headquarters, currently is president of Wärtsilä Energy and executive vice president of Wärtsilä Group.
In addition to his current roles at Wärtsilä, Wirén is vice board chair of Neste, a €28 billion market cap company that provides renewable energy products. He has served as CFO for several companies during his career, including CFO of Wärtsilä Group; CFO of SSAB Group, a global specialized steel company; and CFO of Eltel Networks, a provider of technical services to the electrical and telecommunications industries.
“I am pleased that Marco will be joining us to take the reins of Nokia along with our future CEO, Pekka Lundmark,” said Rajeev Suri, Nokia president and CEO – who, as he mentioned, also is being replaced (see “Pekka Lundmark to replace Rajeev Suri as Nokia’s president and CEO”). “I initiated the succession planning with the Board’s support some time ago and, as Nokia’s next CEO, Pekka led the effort to its completion with the selection of Marco.”
“Marco has deep financial and leadership experience, a sharp focus on driving operational excellence, and a demonstrated record of success,” said Lundmark. “He also brings an extensive background in business-to-business and technology companies. I am looking forward to working closely with him and am fully confident he will be a terrific member of the Nokia team.”
“Nokia is one of the world’s iconic global companies and I am excited to be joining as the 5G era gets fully underway,” said Wirén. “I have deep respect for the company and its culture and look forward to helping create value for shareholders and other stakeholders in the years to come.”
Pullola has served as Nokia’s CFO January 2017 as part of a 21-year career with the company. He will remain with the company until approximately the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition. Milestones during his tenure include the sale of the Devices business to Microsoft and the acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent.
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