Espoo, Finland-based mobile phone maker Nokia has announced today that it has made a series of changes in its Group Executive Board members. Thus, Nokia Chief Financial Officer Rick Simonson will lead the Mobile Phones entity in the Devices unit starting with November 1, 2009. Moreover, he will also be the head of “strategic sourcing for the whole of the Devices unit,” the company has announced. Furthermore, Simonson will still be a member of the Group Executive Board.

The Mobile Phones entity is new within the Devices unit and came to life on October 1, 2009, along with the Smartphones entity. The portfolio, product and lifecycle of all Series 30 and Series 40 devices is under Mobile Phones management, and the entity accounts for around half of Devices & Services net sales. The role of CFO will be taken by Timo Ihamuotila, currently global head of sales, Nokia announced. He will also remain a member of the Group Executive Board.

Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo commented on the new changes: “After six successful years as CFO, it is great to have Rick move to such an important operational role. Rick Simonson's deep knowledge of the business and its financials will be valuable for the significant part Mobile Phones plays in Nokia's business. In addition to his background in finance, Timo Ihamuotila's expertise from leading a diverse range of business areas will be a tremendous asset in his position as CFO.”

In addition, the company also announced that Accenture's acquisition of Nokia's Symbian Professional Services had been completed. The deal was first announced on July 17, 2009, and now Accenture will have full ownership of Nokia's Symbian Professional Services unit, which is in charge with Symbian OS customer engineering and customer support. Starting with today, October 16, 157 people are transferred from Nokia to Accenture as part of the acquisition.