BY JAMES RATEMO
“It is the right people with the right passion and right attitude that has brought Nokia this far,” says a confident Rick Simonson, the Executive Vice President at the leading mobile phone manufacturer.
Tall and focused, Simonson has been a top executive at Nokia for nine years and is keen to keep the winning culture at the company which has maintained a leading position in phone manufacture.
Simonson was in Nairobi on Thursday last week for a global launch of Nokia’s first dual sim card hand sets, and a bicycle charger, all aimed at tightening grip in the emerging markets.
And he is very clear on what he wants for the company that has led the charts globally at innovation and creativity in mobile phone applications.
“Right People come and stay at Nokia for its sustainable cultural values…it is the team work that has kept us at the top,” said Simonson during a one-on-one Interview with Financial Journal.
But what is his secret to the winning formula?
“A company is about moving thousands of people towards a common purpose. With commitment, the results are great,” adds the executive who enjoys running, mountain hiking, downhill skiing and a bit of golf in his spare time.
“As a top executive in a company you have to be concerned of the kind of team you construct and listen to your customers” reveals the jovial and friendly father of five concurring with Nokia’s Head of Africa Brad Brockhaug who also believes that Nokia has understood her market, her consumers and delivered on her promises.
“Do not underestimate the potential of any market, just study the market well and respond appropriately,” Brockahaug, who was also at the global launch and the Head of Sales in Sub-Saharan Africa told Financial Journal.
Simonson agreed that Nokia has in the recent past been faced with stinging competition especially with one critic saying “Apple’s iPhone and RIM’s BlackBerry models have made Nokia devices look old and obsolete.”
Simonson however is nowhere near giving up and is keen to see Nokia regaining her top position in the smartphone sub-sector, which is being threatened by Apple’s i-phone.
The main problem for Nokia, Simonson said, is that it’så “not well positioned in Africa and other emerging markets in Asia and North America, which is a huge market.”
Born in August 26, 1958, in Middletown, Ohio, USA, he is married with five children, Simonson is not new in leadership.
He has been a member of the Group Executive Board of Nokia since January 1, 2004 and a member of the Board of Nokia Siemens Networks since its formation on April 1, 2007.
He is also a non-executive Board member of Electronic Arts, Inc since 2006 and as of July 2009 the Lead Director. He is a Trustee of the International House – New York, a not for profit educational organization.
Rick holds a bachelor’s degree in science and mining engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, and a master’s degree in business administration and finance from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Prior to joining Nokia, Mr. Simonson spent most of his 16 years in banking at Bank of America Securities, where his last position was Managing Director and Head of Global Project Finance, Global Corporate and Investment Bank, San Francisco.
Despite the cut throat competition from other phone makers like Samsung, LG and Apple Inc, Simonson says Nokia has remained on top due to collaboration with other companies in the line of innovation.
“We have a lot of competition than a couple of years ago. We cannot do all the innovation ourselves. We have partnered with Microsoft for the mobile enterprise solutions, Yahoo to perfect email services and Software maker SAP to fight counterfeits,” said Simonson.
But that is not all as far as collaboration and partnership is consider, Nokia has also brought on board individual mobile application developers through the online platform, ovi store, and a lot of innovative widgets are already up for use by customers globally.
“We gone global through the Ovi store to ensure we tap the best talents from all over the world to ensure we satisfy the rising needs of our customers,” he said.
Simonson revealed that counterfeiters have hurt Nokia’s brand worldwide but all efforts are being summoned to defeat the criminals.
He said the company has already activated its electronic warranty confirmation service where customers use a text message to confirm if the warrant is genuine.
This means Nokia customers can now confirm originality of products to enjoy after sale services at Nokia care centres.
Simonson revealed that most Nokia counterfeiters target top Nokia brands by including the dual sim feature to lure unsuspecting customers.
“Now that we have unveiled dual sim phones, we hope to counter the counterfeiters and save our customers the agony of buying sub-standard goods,” he argued.
Simonson also said Nokia decided to unveil dual sim handsets to satisfy the nagging need from customers in Africa and other emerging markets who prefer dual sim phones to benefit from calling tariffs offered by the different mobile operators.
“This is informed by the need for customers to utilise more than one sim card to benefit from tariff rates offered by different mobile operators…it will reduce the wear and tear by removing the need to change sims,” said Simonson.
Expected to retail at between sh3000 and sh4500, he said the Nokia C1-00, C1-01and C2-00 dual sim series aims to satisfy a growing market for dual sim gadgets and fight the rising incidents of counterfeits.
“ We have also unveiled an eco-friendly bicycle charger to serve markets off the electricity grid, especially rural Africa and Asia…our interest in the African market is growing,” said Simonson adding that Africa is emerging out as a strong market still being fuelled by new subscribers as compared to markets in the West.
On the bicycle charger, Simonson said the innovation comes after years of research to determine the needs of masses in the emerging markets.
The charger comes with a holder, a converter and a mini generator to allow free and instant charging of a variety of Nokia gadgets as one rides the bicycle.
The charger allows one to accumulate one-hour talk time from 20 minutes of cycle time.
Simonson was also in Nairobi to announce plans to roll out a mobile Education programme for schools in Kenya before end of this year.
The programme will see Mobile operator Zain, offer air time for data delivery with Nokia offering the hardware, Longman Kenya offering the e-learning content and Kenya Institute of Education and Ministry of Information coordinating training of teachers and rollout of the program.
The software enables teachers and trainers to access and down load the leaning videos from a catalog, which can be updated on an ongoing basis. By connecting the mobile phone to a TV or a projector, the videos can be shjared with abroader audience, like a classroom.
“The education programme has been working in Tanzania since 2000 and has also been implemented in Chile and Philippines. We want to replicate its success in Kenya,” Nokia’s head of Corporate Social Investment, Middle East and Africa, Kulsoom Ally told FJ.
Highlights in Rick Simonsons Bio
-Born in 1958
-Joined Nokia 2001.
-He is currently Executive Vice President, Head of Mobile Phones and Strategic Sourcing, Devices
-Group Executive Board member since 2004.
-Bachelor of Science (Mining Eng.) (Colorado School of Mines)
-Master of Business Administration (Finance) (Wharton School of Business at University of Pennsylvania).
-Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of Nokia Corporation 2003-2009,
-Vice President & Head of Customer Finance of Nokia Corporation 2001-2003,
-Managing Director of Telecom & Media Group of Barclays 2001,
-Head of Global Project Finance and other various positions at Bank of America Securities 1985-2001.
-Member of the Board of Directors of Nokia Siemens Networks
