Nokia vice president Anssi Vanjoki quits

Position had become untenable, say analysts

Anssi Vanjoki had been Nokia vice president for just two months

Nokia was hit by a new blow today with the announcement that vice president Anssi Vanjoki is to leave the company just two months after taking on the new role.

The handset maker said in a statement that Vanjoki, who is head of the firm's Mobile Solutions unit, will leave after a six-month notice period.

"I felt the time had come to seek new opportunities in my life. At the same time, I am 100 per cent committed to doing my best for Nokia until my very last working day," Vanjoki said.

"I am also really looking forward to this year's Nokia World and sharing news about exciting new devices and solutions."

Nokia announced last week that chief executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo will be replaced by former Microsoft business unit leader Stephen Elop in a bid to turn its fortunes around.

Vanjoki's resignation will come as something of a surprise, since he said in blog post when he took the job two months ago that he was "committed" to the hard task of boosting Nokia's market position.

"I must have one of the most exciting jobs in the business. I am committed, perhaps even obsessed, with getting Nokia back to being number one in high-end devices," he said at the time.

"Achieving this will require performance and effort over and above the norm. This is a role I've been preparing for over the last 20 years."

However, some commentators are suggesting that Vanjoki is a casualty of the new regime at Nokia.

"I assume that Vanjoki was one of the internal candidates considered for the chief executive job and, as he wasn't appointed, he feels his position is not tenable," said Nick Jones, an analyst at Gartner, in a blog post.

Jones added that Elop, who is lacking a background in telecoms, will look to surround himself with executives who he believes he can work with and learn from.

"Vanjoki is the first change in the executive team, but I don't think he will be the last," he said.