ESPOO, Finland, Feb. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Nokia has today announced the appointment of Chris Weber as President of Nokia Inc. (US), and head of Markets, North America as of February 11, 2011. Chris Weber comes to Nokia from his own consulting business focused on helping companies develop world class sales cultures. He is a Microsoft veteran, who during his 16 years with the company held several senior executive positions in sales, marketing and professional services. Among his key roles were Corporate Vice President leading Microsoft's US Enterprise and Partner Group as well as heading the US EPG National Sales Excellence and Industry Organization.

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"Today Nokia CEO Stephen Elop outlined the new strategic direction for Nokia, including plans for a broad strategic partnership with Microsoft to build a new global mobile ecosystem, and reiterated his commitment to improving Nokia's position in North America. "With the new strategy in place, I believe Chris brings to the team a great combination of well-developed leadership skills, broad sales and marketing experience and solid consumer insight. Chris's experience will be invaluable in helping us to establish our new ecosystem strategy in the market," said Colin Giles, Executive Vice President, Sales, Nokia.

Chris Weber commented on his new Nokia position: "I am very excited to be part of the Nokia team at this time of change and incredible opportunity. Nokia's new strategy will open up new possibilities, and we look forward to meeting and exceeding our customers' expectations in this market. We will work relentlessly on winning the trust of our customers and the hearts of consumers."

Mark Louison, the current President of Nokia Inc, has decided to leave Nokia and pursue new career opportunities. Colin Giles remarked on this change earlier today saying, "I thank Mark for his dedication and passion throughout the years and wish him every success in his future pursuits."

This change is effective today, February 11, 2011.

About Nokia

At Nokia, we are committed to connecting people. We combine advanced technology with personalized services that enable people to stay close to what matters to them. Every day, more than 1.3 billion people connect to one another with a Nokia device - from mobile phones to advanced smartphones and high-performance mobile computers. Today, Nokia is integrating its devices with innovative services through Ovi (www.ovi.com), including music, maps, apps, email and more. Nokia's NAVTEQ is a leader in comprehensive digital mapping and navigation services, while Nokia Siemens Networks provides equipment, services and solutions for communications networks globally.

www.nokia.com

SOURCE Nokia