Nokia to name India-born Rajeev Suri as next CEO, says report

Nokia, which is set to close the sale of its phone business to Microsoft, will on April 29 name Rajeev Suri as its next CEO and outline its new strategy with a focus on its networks equipment business.

Citing unnamed sources, a report in news daily Helsingin Sanomat said Nokia would also on Tuesday, along with its first-quarter results, announce how much cash it would pay out to shareholders.

46-year-old Suri, born in India, has been widely considered the leading candidate for the CEO post as in recent years he has helped the network division Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN) turn profitable with a drastic restructuring plan and by ditching unprofitable businesses.

The newspaper also said Nokia would over time abandon the name NSN.

Investors have been looking forward to hearing about Nokia's next steps since it announced the 5.4 billion euro ($7.5 billion) Microsoft deal in September.

The Finnish handset giant said earlier this week it expected the deal to close on Friday after the companies had agreed to modify certain deal conditions.

Nokia was not immediately available for comment.

(Reuters)