Nokia to discontinue the role of Chief Operating Officer

Finnish telecommunications giant Nokia announced this Monday that the company will discontinue the role of the Chief Operating Officer or shorter COO. The various functions of the role will be distributed among other positions.

This is how LinkedIn describes the role of a COO: “The chief operating officer of a company is second in command. This professional reports to the chief executive officer (CEO) with a focus on operationalizing strategy. While a CEO is concerned with long-term business goals, the COO is tasked with implementing daily operations, aligned with that goal and the company’s strategies. In many cases, the COO is chosen specifically to complement the strengths and weaknesses of the CEO, or to work in tandem to bring the best leadership to the forefront.”

Nokia’s current COO, Joerg Erlemeier decided to step from Nokia’s Group Leadership team and leave Nokia from January 1st, 2020. Mr. Erlemeir has been with Nokia for 25 years, which is impressive considering how dynamic the last 2 decades for Nokia were. Statements from him and CEO Suri follow down below:

“Joerg has been a long-time, trusted colleague,” said Nokia President and Chief Executive Officer Rajeev Suri. “He leaves the company with my thanks and deep appreciation for his many important contributions.”

“After 25 years at Nokia, I am ready to take on new challenges,” said Erlemeier. “While the company is in the midst of a transition, I leave firm in my belief that the right plan is in place to improve future performance. I wish the company and all my colleagues the very best.”

Source: Nokia