Nokia just announced “the appointment of Patrik Hammarén — whom we interviewed two months ago after he became Acting President (November 13, 2024 ip fray article) — as President of Nokia Technologies and member of the Nokia Group Leadership Team, effective 22 January 2025.” Nokia Technologies is the division in charge of the group’s patent licensing business.
In October 2024, Mr. Hammarén initially became Acting President. They can strike the “Acting” now from his e-mail signature. He must have demonstrated to Nokia’s board and group leadership that he is the right person to run that strategically important division for years to come.
Nokia’s President and CEO, Pekka Lundmark, is quoted in today’s press release:
“I am delighted to announce the appointment of Patrik as President of Nokia Technologies. During a thorough process, Patrik has demonstrated he has the strategic vision, drive, and experience to take Nokia’s patent business forward into the next phase of its growth journey.”
Mr. Hammarén is also quoted:
“It is a great honor to be asked to lead Nokia Technologies. Nokia has an industry-leading patent portfolio and a proven track record for monetizing its innovation. I look forward to working with our external partners and our world-class team to maximize these strengths and build upon the successful completion of our smartphone renewals last year and the momentum we have established in our licensing growth areas.”
In our interview (November 13, 2024 ip fray article), who explained his approach to leadership, team building, prioritization and innovation. We discussed his achievements, such as certain industry first, particularly in China.
Mr. Hammarén joined Nokia in 2007 and held different positions over the years: Chief Licensing Officer Wireless Technologies; Vice President, Head of IoT Licensing Program; and Head of Patent Licensing Greater China. Now that he is going to be at the helm of Nokia Technologies for much longer, that interview is worth reading (or re-reading, as the case may be).
Nokia is presumably going to continue to be a solution-oriented licensor of standard-essential patents (SEPs) and implementation patents, building on a strong basis and expanding into new fields and enabling more innovation.