Ericsson and Nokia each have shuffled up their leadership teams, separately announcing new appointments Thursday.
Nokia named Gabriela Styf Sjöman as the Finnish vendor’s new chief strategy officer and member of its Group Leadership team, effective Dec. 1, while Ericsson revealed Fadi Pharaon will head up the Swedish vendor's Middle East & Africa market and join the executive team effective Sept. 1.
Nokia’s new CSO is replacing Kathrin Buvac, who will continue in her position as president of Nokia Enterprise, which she’s held since January.
RELATED: 2019 Rising Star Winner - Nokia's Michael Murphy
Prior to joining Nokia, Sjöman served as VP and head of Group Network Services and Operations at Telia in Sweden. There, she oversaw technology strategy, architecture, design, delivery and operations for fixed and mobile networks, along with strategy execution for 5G readiness for Telia Company Nordics and Baltics.
Before her two years at Telia, Sjöman held the role of VP of Engineering and Telecom Italia Group Labs in Rome. Sjöman is also an Ericsson alum and spent more than 10 years at Nokia’s Swedish rival, acting in a variety of senior roles in China, Germany, and the United States.
Sjöman will be based in Espoo, Finland and report to Nokia president and CEO Rajeev Suri.
"We are delighted to welcome Gabriela to Nokia at a pivotal moment in our 5G journey. She brings a wealth of international knowledge and a deep understanding of our industry, its customers and technologies," said Suri, in a statement. "Her insight will be critical in refining our strategy for the future."
RELATED: 2019 Rising Star Winner – Ericsson's Yossi Cohen
At Ericsson, meanwhile, Fadi Pharaon is leaving his current role as VP of Networks & Managed Services within Ericsson’s Europe & Latin America market area, to step in as SVP and Head of Market Area Middle East & Africa.
Pharaon will report to Ericsson CEO Börje Ekholm.
He is replacing Rafiah Ibrahim, who Ericsson announced in March would leave her position at the end of August and serve as an advisor to the company’s CEO.
Pharaon has been with Ericsson for more than two decades, holding several management roles with sales responsibilities in markets across Asia, Europe, Middle East and Latin America.
“With the introduction of 5G we are at an exciting time in the industry. Our customer relationships are key to build a strong company position in the market for this next phase of industry development,” said Ekholm in a statement. “Fadi has the right background, experience and capabilities to lead this work in this Market Area and I am very pleased to see him stepping up to this role.”