Nokia’s operations head for India, West Asia and Africa, D. Shivakumar, has quit the Finnish mobile handset maker after spending eight years with the company.
Mr. Shivakumar, who led Nokia’s India operations from 2006 to 2011, before moving to Dubai to head the region, will continue in a consultancy role till June before coming back to India. Before joining Nokia India in 2006, he headed the consumer electronics business of Phillips.
While Mr. Shivakumar is credited with building the Nokia brand in India from number 71 to number 1 on the most trusted list, big misses under his watch were the slow adoption of dual SIM card phones among others.
He was also the ‘de facto HR manager’ at the company, and ingrained many HR processes to encourage learning among the next generation of leaders.
His exit, however, comes at a time when Nokia is facing tough global competition from rivals Apple and Samsung—making the emerging markets the new battleground. “Since 2006, Shiv has been fully dedicated to the company, playing an integral role in Nokia’s growth in India and beyond. But it’s not just what Shiv has done for Nokia externally – his personal convictions on the importance of leadership have resonated throughout the company, and he has sponsored many leadership programs throughout the region,” Chris Weber, Global Sales And Marketing, EVP, Nokia said.
“On behalf of Nokia, I thank Shiv for his contributions, and wish him all the best in the future. He will stay with us in a consultancy role until end-June,” he added.
