Even as the euphoria of Satya Nadella’s rise to the post of Microsoft’s CEO is yet to settle down, comes the news that another alumnus of Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), Rajeev Suri of the 1989 batch, may land the top post in Nokia. This news has sent a wave of excitement on the MIT campus.
According to a press release issued by Manipal University here on Saturday, Mr. Suri, the head of Nokia’s telecoms network equipment division, is likely to become the Finnish group’s next chief executive following the sale of its handset business to Microsoft.
Mr. Suri was the strongest candidate to succeed Stephen Elop, who is due to move to Microsoft, once the 5.4 billion euro ($7.5 billion) handset deal is closed. The companies have been expecting to finalise the deal by the end of March and the board of Nokia would nominate a new chief executive shortly after that, according to reports.
Teachers elatedThe professors who taught Mr. Suri at MIT are elated at the news. K. Kamalaksha, who was Head of the Department of Mathematics at the institute and also the warden of the MIT Hostel Block 3, where Mr. Suri stayed, said that he was a hardworking student and a quiet boy. Prof. Kamalaksha, now retired, taught him for two years.
Mr. Suri’s project guide, Niranjan said: “Rajeev was a smart student and independent. He was always dedicated to work.”
Right courseNarsimha Bhat, who taught Mr. Suri for one semester, said he was excited to hear that “Rajeev is tipped to be the next chief of Nokia”. Dr. Bhat who taught him instrumentation in the last semester in 1989, says, “The education in Manipal can take the credit because Rajeev was a student of Electronics and Communications and he continues to be in electronic communication.”
An elated Chancellor of Manipal University, Ramdas Pai said, “We are very happy that Rajeev Suri is tipped to be the chief of Nokia. Coming soon after the elevation of Satya Nadella to the top post in Microsoft, this is great news. We have created the best infrastructures which the students must fully use and try to get inspiration from these two and become future MDs and CEOs of big corporations.”
Pro Chancellor H.S. Ballal said: “We are already contemplating inviting Mr. Nadela and Mr. Suri to Manipal and felicitating them. We would like to honour them with doctorates because we consider it as a feather in the cap of Manipal University. We are proud of their achievements,” he said.
