Avainsana-arkisto: non-Finns

Nokia is a lot less Finnish

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The leadership team of Nokia is no longer dominated by Finns. Only half are Finns.

In December I wrote that Nokia was still firmly in Finnish hands despite the arrival of the first non-Finn as a CEO. Back then six out of nine management team members were Finns. Now the situation has changed. The leadership team consists of six Finns plus six non-Finns. (In addition there is one acting member of the management team.) The balance of power has shifted.

Yet, many people expected even bigger changes to the leadership team.

Nokia is still very Finnish

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Nokia’s CEO is no longer ’made-in-Finland’. But if you take a look at the rest of the management team, you will see a lot of ä’s and ö’s. In other words, the company is still firmly in Finnish hands.

The Nokia Group Executive Board has nine members. There are three non-Finns (Elop, McDowell and Torres) and six Finns. Three of the Finns have ä’s and ö’s in their names. Tero Ojanperä is still ok for a non-Finnish speaker. But how do you pronounce Öistämö or Äkräs? I am sure quite a few Nokia customers have struggled with the right pronounciation.

The Board of Directors is more international. The majority (five out of nine members) is made up of non-Finns. And only one Finn has an ö in his name!