Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia on Tuesday announced the appointment of India-born Rajeev Suri as its new CEO.
The 46-year-old had been the leading candidate for the top job at the company which was bought over by Microsoft earlier this year.
“I am honored to have been asked to take this role, and excited about the possibilities that lie in our future. Nokia, with its deep experience in connecting people and its three strong businesses, is well-positioned to tap new opportunities during this time of technological change. I look forward to working with the entire Nokia team as we embark on this exciting journey,” Suri said in a statement.
Born in India in 1967, Mr Suri grew up in Kuwait before returning to the sub-continent to study for a technology degree at the Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT). Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is also a graduate of MIT.
Incidentally, Mr Suri is arguably the only CEO of a top tech company who does not hold an MBA: a trend that is increasingly popular in an industry that demands technical expertise as well as business nous.
After completing his Bachelors in Engineering in Electronics and Telecom, Suri moved between a variety of jobs in a host of companies in India, Africa and Europe before joining Nokia in 1995.
Experts say that Mr Suri has an intimate understanding of the inner workings of the company having worked in a number of different roles within Nokia: overseeing everything from business services through business development, marketing, sales and strategy.
From 2009 onwards, he headed Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN) Nokia's mammoth mobile infrastructure and telecoms equipment subsidiary.
Mr Suri is credited with turning the company - a joint venture between Nokia and German giant Siemens.
The new CEO will concentrate on developing Nokia's non consumer mobile divisions including businesses that are developing advanced mobile technologies and infrastructure following Microsoft's takeover of the mobile phone business of Nokia, once the world's largest mobile phone company.
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