Having completed the sale of substantially all of its Devices & Services business to Microsoft on Apr 25, Finnish telecommunications gear maker Nokia announced the appointment of Rajeev Suri as its President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective May 1.

Announcing a vision to be a leader in technologies important in a connected world, Nokia also announced a strategy to realize that vision by building on Nokia's three strong businesses in networks, location and technologies.

Nokia Board of Directors has appointed Rajeev Suri as President and CEO of Nokia Corporation, effective May 1, 2014. Suri joined Nokia in 1995 and has held a wide range of leadership positions in the company. Since October of 2009, he has served as CEO of NSN, the former joint venture between Nokia and Siemens that is now fully owned by Nokia. During his tenure as CEO, that business went through a radical transformation to become one of the leaders in the telecommunications infrastructure industry.

"As Nokia opens this new chapter, the Nokia Board and I are confident that Rajeev is the right person to lead the company forward," said Risto Siilasmaa, Chairman of the Nokia Board of Directors. "He has a proven ability to create strategic clarity, drive innovation and growth, ensure disciplined execution, and deliver results."

"I am honored to have been asked to take this role, and excited about the possibilities that lie in our future," said Rajeev Suri.

Nokia believes that over the next decade billions of connected devices will converge into intelligent and programmable systems that will have the potential to improve lives in a vast number of areas: time and availability, transportation and resource consumption, learning and work, health and wellness, and many more.

Today, HERE is the leading global provider of map content, powering four out of five in-car navigation systems.

"Nokia has a strong and proven team of leaders," said Rajeev Suri. "We intend to move fast to further refine our execution plan, build the right company culture, and institute the necessary operational governance and performance management systems."