ESPOO, FINLAND - Nokia today announced the appointment of Gregory Lee, a proven consumer technology and innovation leader, as President of Nokia Technologies and as member of the Group Leadership team, with immediate effect.
Lee joins Nokia after a 13-year career at Samsung Electronics, where he most recently served as President and CEO, Samsung Electronics, North America, with a focus on driving fast growth, profitability and operational excellence. In this capacity, Lee led all of Samsung's businesses for North America, managing a portfolio of products including mobile phones and consumer electronics, as well as those in new market segments such as digital health, virtual reality devices and digital content.
"We have chosen the right leader to take Nokia Technologies forward at a time of renewed excitement about the Nokia brand around the world," said Rajeev Suri, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nokia. "Gregory's passion for innovation and operational excellence, along with his proven ability to build and lead global consumer technology businesses, make him well suited to advance Nokia's efforts in virtual reality, digital health and beyond."
"I am excited by the opportunity to lead Nokia Technologies," said Lee. "The Nokia Technologies team has produced innovative products and solutions in dynamic, high growth segments of the consumer technology market, and I am honored to be in a position to help build on this success in the future."
A graduate of the University of California at San Diego, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry, Lee has held numerous product, technology and marketing leadership roles over the course of a career spanning nearly three decades. He previously served as Samsung's Global Chief Marketing Officer, as well as President and CEO of Samsung Electronics Southeast Asia and President and CEO of Samsung Telecommunications America. Prior to his time at Samsung, Lee led product development, sales and strategic initiatives for global consumer brands including Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg's and Procter & Gamble.
Lee will be based in California, reporting to Suri. Accordingly, the Group Leadership would, effective as of June 30, 2017, consist of the following members: Rajeev Suri (Chairman), Basil Alwan, Hans-Juergen Bill, Kathrin Buvac, Ashish Chowdhary, Barry French, Bhaskar Gorti, Federico Guillén, Gregory Lee, Igor Leprince, Monika Maurer, Kristian Pullola, Marc Rouanne, Maria Varsellona and Marcus Weldon.