Nokia appoints new chief people officer

Nokia has appointed Kristen Pressner as chief people officer and a member of the group leadership team, effective 1 May 2026.

Pressner will be based in Finland and report to Justin Hotard, president and chief executive officer of Nokia. She has more than 30 years of international experience in HR, talent management, and organisational transformation.

She joins Nokia from Roche Holding Group, where she was global head of people and culture for Roche Diagnostics. Pressner played a role in strengthening leadership, evolving the group’s operating model, and shaping a culture that enables innovation and drives business impact.

Earlier in her career, Pressner held various HR leadership roles at Texas Instruments, focused on driving culture and capability transformation in the dynamic global technology environment.

Pressner said: “This is an incredibly exciting time to join Nokia. The [organisation] is transforming for the era of AI, cloud, and next-generation networks and at the centre of that transformation are its people. Nokia’s success depends on the creativity, courage, and collaboration of its teams around the world, and I’m inspired by the opportunity to play a key role in unleashing that potential. As a global technology leader with a remarkable heritage and a bold future, Nokia is poised to shape the next chapter of connectivity and I can’t wait to be part of that journey.”

Hotard added: “I am thrilled to welcome Kristen to Nokia as we work together to build a culture of empowerment, accountability, and a customer-first mindset to increase focus and improve performance across our business. Kristen brings a wealth of experience in driving transformation through business. She will lead our cultural evolution toward an AI-empowered, united team, focused on delivering for our customers and seizing the opportunities the AI supercycle is creating for advanced and trusted connectivity.”