Stephen Elop
Encyclopedia
Stephen Elop is the chief executive officer
of Nokia Corporation
. A Canadian citizen, Elop is the first non-Finn to be named CEO of Nokia. He replaced Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo
in this position on September 21, 2010.
of Macromedia
for three months before it was announced to be acquired by Adobe. Before that he had worked at Macromedia for seven years, the last of which he was the Chief Operating Officer
He was the COO
of Juniper Networks
for exactly one year. He had been president of worldwide field operations at Adobe Systems
for six months (December 2005-June 2006) after Adobe acquired Macromedia when he tendered his resignation.
Before starting at Nokia
, Elop worked for Microsoft
from January 2008 to September 2010 as the head of the Business Division, responsible for the Microsoft Office
line of products, and as a member of the company's senior leadership team. During his time at Microsoft, the Business Division released Office 2010.
Nokia announced on March 11, 2011 that it had paid Elop a $6 million signing bonus, “compensation for lost income from his prior employer," on top of his $1.4 million annual salary.
market to a person standing on a burning oil platform
(in software, "platform" is used to refer to frameworks such as Symbian
, Apple iOS
and Google Android.)
Technology insiders and journalists have since remarked that the memo was a wake-up call for Nokia (“It is one of the most combustible and gripping documents ever to emerge from a major corporation.” (BBC
) and “With its elegant writing style and brutal honesty, the 1,200-word missive is far removed from the average management pep talk.” (Financial Times
)). The memo has also been referenced as a guide for other business and political leaders such as Cisco’s John Chambers.
In February 2011, Elop announced a new strategy for Nokia, which included shifting its smartphone operating system from Symbian to Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7
. During the transition, Nokia released two new versions of its Symbian operating system, the Meego-based N9 and five dual SIM
feature phones. First Nokia Windows Phone 7 smartphones shipped in November 2011.
Some technology writers have criticised Elop for the decision to move away from Symbian and MeeGo
platforms to Windows Phone 7.
, Hamilton, Ontario, graduating second in his class with a bachelor's degree in 1986. Stephen found time to help lay 22 kilometers of Ethernet cable around campus to create one of the first Internet networks in Canada.
, Canada
. In his spare time, he is an avid recreational pilot. He is married to Nancy Elop, with whom he has five children, including triplets.
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Nokia Corporation
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
. A Canadian citizen, Elop is the first non-Finn to be named CEO of Nokia. He replaced Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo
Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo
Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo currently chairs the committee for World Design Capital Helsinki 2012, and is the former Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Nokia, as well former board member for Nokia Siemens Networks.-Career:Kallasvuo joined Nokia in 1980 as Corporate Counsel, and has held...
in this position on September 21, 2010.
Career
Elop was the CEOChief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Macromedia
Macromedia
Macromedia was an American graphics and web development software company headquartered in San Francisco, California that produced such products as Flash and Dreamweaver. Its rival, Adobe Systems, acquired Macromedia on December 3, 2005 and controls the line of Macromedia...
for three months before it was announced to be acquired by Adobe. Before that he had worked at Macromedia for seven years, the last of which he was the Chief Operating Officer
He was the COO
Chief operating officer
A Chief Operating Officer or Director of Operations can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "C-Suite"...
of Juniper Networks
Juniper Networks
Juniper Networks is an information technology and computer networking products multinational company, founded in 1996. It is head quartered in Sunnyvale, California, USA. The company designs and sells high-performance Internet Protocol network products and services...
for exactly one year. He had been president of worldwide field operations at Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
for six months (December 2005-June 2006) after Adobe acquired Macromedia when he tendered his resignation.
Before starting at Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
, Elop worked for Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
from January 2008 to September 2010 as the head of the Business Division, responsible for the Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office is a non-free commercial office suite of inter-related desktop applications, servers and services for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, introduced by Microsoft in August 1, 1989. Initially a marketing term for a bundled set of applications, the first version of...
line of products, and as a member of the company's senior leadership team. During his time at Microsoft, the Business Division released Office 2010.
Nokia announced on March 11, 2011 that it had paid Elop a $6 million signing bonus, “compensation for lost income from his prior employer," on top of his $1.4 million annual salary.
"Burning Platform" and Windows Phone 7
Shortly after joining Nokia, Elop issued a company internal memo titled “Burning Platform”, that was immediately leaked to the press. The memo likened the 2010 situation of Nokia in the smartphoneSmartphone
A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
market to a person standing on a burning oil platform
Oil platform
An oil platform, also referred to as an offshore platform or, somewhat incorrectly, oil rig, is a lаrge structure with facilities to drill wells, to extract and process oil and natural gas, and to temporarily store product until it can be brought to shore for refining and marketing...
(in software, "platform" is used to refer to frameworks such as Symbian
Symbian
Symbian is a mobile operating system and computing platform designed for smartphones and currently maintained by Accenture. The Symbian platform is the successor to Symbian OS and Nokia Series 60; unlike Symbian OS, which needed an additional user interface system, Symbian includes a user...
, Apple iOS
IOS
iOS is an operating system for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Apple TV.IOS may also refer to:-Companies and organisations:* Illinois Ornithological Society, American state-based bird club...
and Google Android.)
Technology insiders and journalists have since remarked that the memo was a wake-up call for Nokia (“It is one of the most combustible and gripping documents ever to emerge from a major corporation.” (BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
) and “With its elegant writing style and brutal honesty, the 1,200-word missive is far removed from the average management pep talk.” (Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
)). The memo has also been referenced as a guide for other business and political leaders such as Cisco’s John Chambers.
In February 2011, Elop announced a new strategy for Nokia, which included shifting its smartphone operating system from Symbian to Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7
Windows Phone 7
Windows Phone is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft, and is the successor to its Windows Mobile platform, although incompatible with it. Unlike its predecessor, it is primarily aimed at the consumer market rather than the enterprise market...
. During the transition, Nokia released two new versions of its Symbian operating system, the Meego-based N9 and five dual SIM
Dual SIM
A dual SIM mobile phone is one which holds two SIM cards. Initially, dual-SIM adapters were made available to use in regular mobile phones to allow them to contain two SIMs, and to switch from one to the other as required. This combination is called a standby dual-SIM phone. The first Dual SIM...
feature phones. First Nokia Windows Phone 7 smartphones shipped in November 2011.
Some technology writers have criticised Elop for the decision to move away from Symbian and MeeGo
MeeGo
MeeGo is a Linux-based open source mobile operating system project. Primarily targeted at mobile devices and information appliances in the consumer electronics market, MeeGo is designed to act as an operating system for hardware platforms such as netbooks, entry-level desktops, nettops, tablet...
platforms to Windows Phone 7.
Education
From 1981, Elop studied computer engineering and management at McMaster UniversityMcMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
, Hamilton, Ontario, graduating second in his class with a bachelor's degree in 1986. Stephen found time to help lay 22 kilometers of Ethernet cable around campus to create one of the first Internet networks in Canada.
Personal life
Elop was born in Ancaster, OntarioAncaster, Ontario
Ancaster is a picturesque and historic community located on the Niagara escarpment, within the greater area of the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. This former town was founded officially in 1793 and was one of the oldest European communities established in present day Ontario along with Windsor...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In his spare time, he is an avid recreational pilot. He is married to Nancy Elop, with whom he has five children, including triplets.