Nokia’s Chief Marketing Officer Barry French is to leave his position at the end of 2020, as the company continues to undergo a shake-up at the top under the leadership of new CEO Pekka Lundmark.
The company did not release an official statement announcing French’s departure, but instead posted on LinkedIn. There was no reason given for his exit.
Lundmark said in a comment that French had been “at the heart of transforming Nokia into a leader in telecom network infrastructure”, and he appreciated the support he had given him since taking over as CEO.
French joined Nokia in 2006 and played a key role in the creation of Nokia Siemens Networks, as well as completing the acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent, before taking responsibility for growing the Nokia brand in 2014. There was no update on a potential successor.
News of French leaving the company comes a week Lundmark announced a sweeping restructure of its business units and wider strategy.
Lundmark explained the overhaul of the business would see it scrap its strategy of providing end-to-end solutions in favour of a more focused approach.
Under the new structure, the company will create four core business units, which included management changes.
