Melissa Schoeb has joined Nokia as the company’s new Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, a position that places her at the forefront of the Finnish tech titan’s communications, government relations, brand, and sustainability efforts. She will be based out of the company headquarters in Espoo, Finland, and report to Nokia’s President and CEO, Pekka Lundmark.
Schoeb, who officially starts her new role on April 12, 2021, is no stranger to the telecommunications industry and brings extensive experience in corporate affairs.
In a press release, Lundmark welcomed Schoeb to the tech company’s leadership team and said, “As Nokia embarks on the next stage of its journey, we will play a key part in providing the technology that will enable positive change for the planet, our economy and our society. Melissa’s knowledge in helping shape these relevant debates and ensure a strong voice for Nokia will be crucial to our future success.”
Most recently, Schoeb worked as the VP of Corporate Affairs at Occidental Petroleum. Additionally, she has held several senior leadership positions at communications consultancy FleishmanHillard and was the Director of Global Communications for Nortel Networks, a multinational telecommunications and data networking equipment manufacturer. She was also the business director at a venture capital company that focused on the telecommunications sector and held consulting roles at Gemini Consulting.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the Nokia team at this pivotal time in the company’s history,” Schoeb commented. “Its leading technology and intellectual property, iconic brand and differentiated strategy position it for sustained long-term growth. I look forward to advancing Nokia’s global reputation with its stakeholders to drive and support the company’s business goals.”
News of Schoeb’s hiring follows the announcement that the telecoms equipment maker plans to cut up to 10,000 of its 90,000 employees worldwide over the next two years to offset research and development costs.
The storied tech brand has been under the gun recently to catch up to rivals in the 5G equipment market like Swedish manufactuer Ericsson or Chinese supplier Huawei. In early 2020, Deutsche Telekom, Europe’s biggest telecoms operator, reportedly told Nokia that it needs to improve its products and service to win business.
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