Nokia chairman Jorma Ollila said he will be leaving the company next year and this marks the end of an era for the world’s largest handset maker.
Ollila has been an instrumental figure for Nokia for the last twenty years and he saw the company transform into the world’s largest handset maker. He has also seen the company lag behind in the rapidly-growing smartphone space.
“It was a tough year, and I expect the year ahead to be a tough one too,” Ollila said, according to Reuters. “I am committed to continue at the job and do my bit. Throwing in the towel due to earlier difficulties is not my way of doing things.”
Nokia is still the world’s largest smartphone maker in terms of percentages but it is having its lunch eaten by Apple and Google. That’s why there’s been a major reorganization over the last year or so.
The company has been playing musical chairs with its executives for while and now we’re seeing the exodus of many long-time Nokia people. Ollila is just the latest to leave, as new CEO Steven Elop is trimming a lot of the fat in order to make the company more competitive.
It is also in the middle of a major strategic software change, as it will be using Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform for its upcoming line of smartphones. The company will be getting billions to use this platform, so it’s clear why it chose Microsoft over Google.
There might be some more pain in its restructuring before it regains momentum but Nokia appears to be making some right moves to adapt to new markets. For all its warts, Windows Phone is definitely a modern operating system that can go toe-to-toe with iOS and Android. I’m still interested in how Nokia will tackle the tablet craze, too.
[Via Reuters]