HMD Global Appoints Pekka Rantala as Chief Marketing Officer to Re-Launch Nokia-Branded Mobile Phones

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HELSINKI, Finland, Aug. 15 / PRNewswire=KYODO JBN / --

HMD global Oy ("HMD"), the exclusive global licensee of the Nokia brand for

mobile phones and tablets, has appointed Pekka Rantala as Chief Marketing

Officer, effective immediately. Rantala is the former CEO of Rovio

Entertainment (the creator of "Angry Birds"), and SVP of Global Marketing at

Nokia.

HMD is a new company that has been founded to create a full range of

Nokia-branded smart phones, feature phones and tablets, and Rantala will lead

their return to the global consumer market. His first priority is to recruit a

world class team of marketers, brand specialists, and communicators to engage

global mobile phone users.

Arto Nummela, CEO of HMD global, said:

"Pekka has an important mission to rejuvenate the Nokia brand in mobile phones.

He is an experienced consumer marketer who knows how to run global operations

and teams, and is passionate about the Nokia brand. Branding has become a

critical differentiator in mobile phones, and 96% of global mobile phone users

are familiar with the Nokia brand, our unique asset. We know people around the

world are excited about a new wave of Nokia phones, and we are working hard to

create a beautiful range of Nokia-branded devices that people will love."

Pekka Rantala said:

"There are very few opportunities like this, to work with a global brand with

the power to touch hundreds of millions of people every day. It is a privilege

to work with this unique brand, to engage with the millions of dedicated Nokia

phone fans around the world and create a generation of new ones. We are going

to bring together a new team of talented people who can build something

incredible."

Rantala spent seventeen years in Nokia's mobile phone business. A marketing

specialist he has served across sales, marketing and operations roles, latterly

as Senior Vice President for Global Marketing. He then spent several years in

the fast moving consumer goods industry, before becoming CEO of Rovio

Entertainment, best known as the creator of "Angry Birds". He has most recently

served as Chairman of Jot Automation, a supplier of services to the global

electronics industry.

Notes to Editors

HMD has sole use of the Nokia brand on mobile phones (smartphones and feature

phones) and tablets worldwide for the next decade. HMD's Nokia-branded

smartphones and tablets will run on the Android operating system, uniting one

of the world's iconic mobile brands with the leading mobile software and app

development community.

HMD intends to leverage and grow Nokia's global brand reach, delivering

beautifully designed, high quality products to people all over the world in

line with Nokia's brand promise. HMD intends to invest over USD 500 million

over the next three years to support the global marketing of Nokia-branded

mobile phones and tablets.

HMD's Nokia-branded devices will be manufactured and distributed worldwide by

FIH Mobile, a subsidiary of Foxconn. HMD has full operational control over

sales, marketing and distribution of its Nokia-branded devices, with exclusive

access to the pre-eminent global sales and distribution network being acquired

by FIH from Microsoft. HMD will make further announcements about its plans and

product roadmaps in due course.

About HMD global

Registered and headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, HMD is a new private venture

founded to create a new generation of Nokia-branded mobile devices. HMD will be

run by a group of experienced industry leaders, including CEO-designate Arto

Nummela, who previously held senior roles at Nokia and is currently the head of

Microsoft's Mobile Devices business for Greater Asia, Middle East and Africa as

well as Microsoft's global Feature Phones business, and president-designate

Florian Seiche, who is currently Senior Vice President for Europe Sales and

Marketing at Microsoft Mobile, and previously held key roles at Nokia, HTC and

other global brands. http://www.hmdglobal.com

Source: HMD global