With almost 20 years as a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Pekka has accrued deep expertise in the telecommunications, technology, energy, machinery, and finance sectors, all of which are central to the transition into the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Pekka was appointed as Nokia’s CEO on August 1, 2020. He has put in place a new operating model for the company and positioned Nokia as a trusted partner for critical networks around the world. These critical networks are advanced systems of hardware and software that run mission-critical services for companies and societies. They are central to Pekka’s passionately held belief that technology and connectivity can and should help industries and societies improve productivity and sustainability as well as create new opportunities.
He previously worked for Nokia between 1990 and 2000, when he helped oversee the company’s emergence as the world’s biggest mobile phone manufacturer and a significant player in mobile infrastructure.
Pekka started his Nokia career as an account manager, responsible for the launch of the world’s first GSM network. He led the company’s expansion into new territories and became known as a dynamic and visionary leader who knew how to adapt businesses to prepare for, and capitalize on, coming trends.
In 2000 he moved from Nokia into venture capital with Startupfactory, followed by the consumer goods company Hackman, where he first became a CEO. He then led Konecranes for 10 years, before in 2015 moving to Fortum, an international energy company.
Pekka’s broad experience, which includes working in Silicon Valley and Asia, has given him insight into technologies that will be at the heart of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. These include 5G, artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, private networks, the Industrial Internet of Things, and cloud computing.
Originally from Espoo, Finland, Pekka earned a master’s degree in information systems from Aalto University’s Department of Technical Physics (formerly Helsinki University of Technology). He holds advisory or oversight roles at the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, the Climate Leadership Council, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, among others.
