Nokia's head of mobile solutions resigns

LONDON, UK: Anssi Vanjoki, the head of Nokia's mobile solutions unit, is resigning following the appointment of outsider Stephen Elop as chief executive of the world's biggest cellphone maker.

Vanjoki, who joined Nokia in 1991, has a six-month notice period and will continue with his current tasks for the time being, Nokia said in a statement on Monday.

"I felt the time has come to seek new opportunities in my life," Vanjoki said.

Nokia announced on Friday it was hiring Elop, a Canadian Microsoft executive with Silicon Valley credentials, to replace embattled CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo and renew its drive to compete with Apple.

"This marks the end of an era at Nokia and could signal further management changes to follow," UK-based telecoms research firm CCS Insight said in a note.

Nokia's chairman, Jorma Ollila, who led Nokia's transformation from a rubber boots-to-TVs conglomerate into a mobile phones giant in the 1990s, also said on Friday he intended to step down after helping with the CEO management change.