Nokia execs in the firing line as change of direction looms

Vice president of mobile phones Mary MacDowell among those under threat

Nokia appears to be on the verge of a major internal shakeup, with reports suggesting that chief executive Stephen Elop is preparing to replace half of the executive board as he prepares to take the firm in a new direction.

Just months after the abrupt departure of Nokia vice president Anssi Vanjoki, other high-profile employees could be leaving the Finnish manufacturer.

Top of the list is Kai Oistamo, chief development officer, and Tero Ojanpera, executive vice president of services and mobile solutions, according to German weekly WirtschaftsWoche.

Mary MacDowell, executive vice president of mobile phones at Nokia, is also tipped to be in the firing line. This is perhaps unsurprising, given the muted success of newly released Symbian ^3 smartphones.

Head hunters have already been dispatched by Elop with orders to seek out people with good software expertise, reports suggest.

V3.co.uk contacted Nokia, but the firm declined to comment on what it said was rumour and speculation.

Nick McQuire, EMEA research director for enterprise mobility at IDC, told V3.co.uk that changes to the board appear inevitable.

"Elop clearly needs to do something bold in terms of a strategy shift for Nokia, and he will therefore need his internal stamp on proceedings to execute, " he said.

"Elop has not announced any major restructuring to the Nokia executive team since he came onboard last year, and to transform the thinking inside the business from top-down he is going to need to make some changes."

Following Nokia's poor fourth-quarter results, Elop hinted that changes would be needed to ensure that the largest handset manufacturer maintains its dominant global position.

"Nokia faces some significant challenges in our competitiveness and our execution. In short, the industry changed, and now it's time for Nokia to change faster," he said at the time.

A change in strategy is expected to be announced on 11 February, and analysts are touting a partnership with Microsoft as one of the possible options available to Nokia to help it remain competitive in the smartphone market.