At first glance Stephen Elop, 46, the Canadian former Microsoft apparatchik, appears a strange choice as the new chief executive of Nokia, the world's largest phone maker.
For one thing, he has never worked for a mobile phone manufacturer. After cutting his professional teeth in the US fast-food industry he occupied a string of executive positions at US software companies, culminating in a stint at Microsoft where he helped to broker a partnership deal between the Seattle software giant and Nokia. But what really stands out about the Finnish phone maker's new chief is that, unlike every Nokia head since the pre-telecommunications era back in 1871, he is not Finnish.
Mr Elop, however, is doing all he can to hide that fact and has relinquished his Microsoft smart casual blazer and open-neck button-down in favour of a sober suit, white shirt and tie. Like most other senior Nokia people, he is also a family man and is married with five children. With his close-cropped ginger hair, pale skin and sleek, well-fed appearance he looks every inch the sun-starved Scandinavian executive.
It is, however, when the North American begins to speak about Finland that his unfamiliarity with Nokia's homeland becomes most apparent. He admits his knowledge of Nokia's home capital of Helsinki comprises "just spending a weekend in downtown Helsinki, getting to know the people and so forth". Mr Elop is also a keen follower of the Finns' national sport of ice hockey, albeit from the Canadian side of the stands.
"In the weeks and months ahead, I have a great deal to learn about Nokia, but I also have a great deal to learn about Finland," he says. In most other global companies, appointing a chief executive from a country outside the company's homeland would pass without comment. But Nokia occupies a special place in Finnish culture after rescuing the country from an economic depression in the wake of the collapse of its main trading partner, the former Soviet Union.
Senior Nokia executives also have an ingrained habit of weaving a kind of Nordic folklore around the phone maker's global success. Finns, they say, understand better than anybody the crucial importance of any type of hand tool in a bitterly cold climate in which having the right one can mean the difference between life and death. When introducing Mr Elop to his new Nokia colleagues in Helsinki, Jorma Ollila, the chairman and former chief executive, stressed the need for "Finnishness" in a Nokia chief executive.
"He does have a very strong cultural sensitivity and a grasp of the importance of Nokia's somewhat special heritage where there is a lot of Finnishness about it," said Mr Ollila, reassuring his colleagues that their company's national heritage would be in safe hands. But many of Nokia shareholders do not share the company's view that Nokia's innate Finnishness is its greatest strength. Some are known to have been clamouring for a foreign, preferably US, chief executive to transform what many now see as Nokia's ailing and outdated hardware-dominated strategy.
Coming from a US software background, Mr Elop is taking the helm at a time when Nokia is at a crossroads. After more than 20 years spent establishing its global dominance as a mobile phone maker, Nokia is now discovering that its customers want internet-based services as much as they want sleek mobile phone designs. It is when Mr Elop begins to talk about the way Nokia must adapt to the "fundamental change" taking place within the communications industry that he begins to shed his recently adopted Finnish sheep's clothing to show the teeth of a ruthless and pragmatic software wolf with a long history of running with the pack.
"It is the case in the technology world when there are fundamental moments where critical change takes place," says Mr Elop. "When cellular telephones first became popular, it was another dramatic change in the way we all communicate. And, of course, the advent of the browser-based internet was something that affected all of us in the way we live our daily lives." He added that the arrival of new trends such as cloud computing and social networking have combined with previous technological innovations to create new challenges and opportunities for Nokia.
"If you put all these pieces together, you quickly recognise that these elements are combining to create a moment of fundamental disruption," says Mr Elop. He dismisses the competition from newcomers such as Apple as inevitable in an era of change and believes that Nokia has an unique opportunity to leverage its size and strengths to redirect its strategy and establish new software services for its customers.
He has already indicated to key staff that regions such as the Middle East and Africa are about to receive the full thrust of his new software-oriented strategy. He believes that, while success in developed markets such as the US is important, a major foundation for future growth is the company's strength in developing markets such as the Middle East. Nokia was already using the Middle East as a testing ground for many of its new software services 18 months ago but the new chief executive has made plain his desire to accelerate that strategy.
By supplying software to run local content and by gradually extending smartphone-style applications across all consumer groups, Mr Elop hopes Nokia will establish a long-term dominance in the Middle East. But the question being quietly asked by shareholders and staff is whether Mr Elop will have the personal drive needed to transform the world's biggest mobile phone maker into a software player. Mr Elop does, however, have one strength he shares with the Finns - a powerful work ethic. As a student, it is said he graduated near the top of his class while working a 40-hour week to pay his way through university.
He also devoted his week's holiday between leaving Microsoft and joining Nokia to attending and speaking at the Nokia developers' conference.
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
The%20specs
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
SUNDAY'S ABU DHABI T10 MATCHES
Northern Warriors v Team Abu Dhabi, 3.30pm
Bangla Tigers v Karnataka Tuskers, 5.45pm
Qalandars v Maratha Arabians, 8pm
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The Specs
Price, base Dh379,000
Engine 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 503bhp
Torque 443Nm
On sale now
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
How to tell if your child is being bullied at school
Sudden change in behaviour or displays higher levels of stress or anxiety
Shows signs of depression or isolation
Ability to sleep well diminishes
Academic performance begins to deteriorate
Changes in eating habits
Struggles to concentrate
Refuses to go to school
Behaviour changes and is aggressive towards siblings
Begins to use language they do not normally use
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Raghida, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: AF Alareeq, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-2 Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 2,200m
Winner: Basmah, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Liwa Oasis Group 2 (PA) Dh300,000 1,400m
Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: SS Jalmod, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m
Winner: Trolius, Ryan Powell, Simon Crisford
TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
Record: 59-6-2 (38 KOs)
Age: 38
Weight: 146lbs
Height: 166cm
Reach: 170cm
Jeff Horn
Record: 16-0-1 (11 KOs)
Age: 29
Weight: 146.2lbs
Height: 175cm
Reach: 173cm
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
