HMD Global said on Wednesday its CEO Arto Nummela is leaving the company with immediate effect. The announcement comes a little over a year after HMD Global acquired rights to use Nokia's brand for mobile phones and tablets.
The Finnish company didn't share why Nummela is already leaving, but said the decision was mutual. Nummela joined HMD Global last year after spending more than a decade at Nokia and then Microsoft, serving a range of top leadership roles in sales and marketing. As you would expect, he was at the forefront of things when HMD announced the official return of the Nokia brand in December last year.
HMD President Florian Seiche has been appointed to the role of acting CEO, the company added. Much like Nummela, Seiche also joined HMD Global from Microsoft and Nokia. Prior to that, he was the President of HTC and group director of French telecom Orange.
In a prepared statement to the press, Sam Chin, Chairman of the Board, HMD Global Oy said, "Arto Nummela has played a key role in the creation of the HMD Global operation, building the team and launching our first products. On behalf of the whole Board, I thank Arto for his contribution and wish him well in his future endeavors." It's unclear what Nummela plans to do next.
The departure of a senior executive never looks good for a company, and Nummela's move is no different. HMD Global is increasingly trying to revive the Nokia branding. Earlier this year, the company launched the Nokia 3310 to much fanfare and also announced the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6 Android-powered smartphones.
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