14 DAY TRIAL // F-Secure announced its founder and CEO, Risto Siilasmaa, is transferring from CEO to Chairman of the Board effective November 6th 2006. Kimmo Alkio from Nokia Corporation has been appointed as the new CEO effective on the same date.
Siilasmaa has been leading F-Secure since its establishment in 1988. During this period, the company has grown to become one of Finland's most esteemed ICT industry enterprises. In a study on corporate reputation conducted this year by Finnish ICT industry publication Tietokone, F-Secure was placed in third position. F-Secure has also managed to achieve significant market leaderships that are important for its future: it has a 25 per cent market share in the combined European and North American ISP security services markets. On the mobile security side, F-Secure is the world's market leader in mobile operator-provisioned data security. From the perspective of growth and profitability, the company has witnessed extremely positive developments over the last few years.
"F-Secure is in strong shape. Profits from recent years have been solid and we have been able to create global leadership in our chosen core markets according to our strategy. As Chairman of the Board, I will give my support to the new CEO - particularly from the point of view of strategic direction," said Siilasmaa. "I have two goals remaining in my career - to establish a new international growth company and to work in one of the largest global corporations. Both goals are connected to intensive learning in new environments. Starting up a new company would give me the chance to test those skills which I have learnt during my time at F-Secure. Working in a large corporation for its part would enable me to see how a large organisation and its processes work from the inside. However, I will forestall the making of any concrete plans before November up to which point I will continue fully in my role as F-Secure's CEO."
The former Chairman of the Board Pertti Ervi will continue in the Board as deputy chairman. Newly appointed CEO Kimmo Alkio worked until March 2005 as F-Secure's Chief Operating Officer, continuing in Nokia Corporation as Vice President of Consulting and Integration within Networks. Previous to this, he worked 14 years in Digital Equipment Corporation and Compaq in a variety of leadership roles in Switzerland, Germany and the US. His 20-year career in the ICT industry working with operators, large corporations and in the channel give him excellent possibilities to take F-Secure's business and service provider focused strategy forward. "I am extremely excited about the possibility to develop F-Secure's operations and opportunities for growth. The company's global ISP-focused operations are a significant factor in the ICT industry overall and I strongly believe it will open up opportunities in the provision of data security to both the IT and mobile device worlds", said Alkio.
"I am extremely satisfied to be leaving the duty of CEO to Kimmo. We worked together at the start of the current decade and already then our cooperation was both rewarding and successful. It is my belief that everyone at F-Secure will join with me in wishing him a very warm welcome in his role at the head of the company," Siilasmaa announced. Kimmo Alkio holds a BBA degree from Texas A&M University, as well as an Executive MBA from the Helsinki University of Technology. He also serves as vice Chairman on the board of Directors of Aldata Solutions.
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