HELSINKI (Reuters) – Sari Baldauf took over as chairwoman of telecoms equipment maker Nokia on Wednesday, succeeding Risto Siilasmaa who chaired the Finnish firm for eight years.
Baldauf, 64, one of the most high-profile female executives in the global telecoms industry, is facing a tough task to fight back in 5G race, where rivals Ericsson and Huawei are putting pressure on its sales and cash reserves.
Baldauf is the last remaining executive from former chairman and CEO Jorma Ollila’s team which in the late 1990s built a Finnish company with a tiny tech unit into the world’s biggest cellphone maker.
(Reporting by Tarmo Virki and Anne Kauranen; editing by David Evans)
