Kristen Pressner joins Nokia as Chief People Officer

Nokia has appointed Kristen A. Pressner as Chief People Officer and a member of the company’s Group Leadership Team, as the technology company continues its transformation in the artificial intelligence era.

The company confirmed that Pressner will lead Nokia’s global People & Culture agenda, including talent strategy, leadership and organisational development, reward, employee experience, and workforce transformation. Her role will focus on aligning culture, capabilities and ways of working with Nokia’s technology and AI-driven strategy.

“Today, we’re excited to welcome Kristen A. Pressner as Chief People Officer and a member of Nokia’s Group Leadership Team,” the company said in a statement, noting her three decades of global experience across people, culture and transformation. “As we continue our evolution into the AI era, Kristen will play a key role in aligning culture, capabilities and ways of working to support the next chapter.”

Pressner said she was joining the company at a pivotal moment in its transformation journey. “What a privilege to be part of writing the next chapter of Nokia’s story at such a pivotal moment. People and culture sit right at the center of that. I’m looking forward to getting started together,” she said.

Pressner’s appointment as Chief People Officer was first announced in November last year.

Based in Espoo, Finland, Pressner works closely with Nokia’s CEO and Group Leadership Team to support the company’s strategic evolution through its people strategy and organisational transformation initiatives.

Before joining Nokia, Pressner spent more than two decades at Roche, where she most recently served as Global Head of People & Culture for Roche Diagnostics. During her tenure, she held several senior HR leadership roles, including Head of Human Resources for Diagnostics across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, and Senior Director of Global Learning & Development in Group Human Resources.

Earlier in her career, she worked at Texas Instruments in multiple human resources roles, including HR Manager, Strategic Staffing Manager and Mergers & Acquisitions Project Manager.

Originally from the United States, Pressner lived in Switzerland for nearly two decades before relocating to Finland. She holds an MBA in International Human Resources Management from the University of Dallas and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Purdue University.

Pressner is also recognised as a speaker and thought leader on equitable leadership, empowering women leaders, neurodiversity and unconscious bias, and is widely regarded as a voice in modern people and culture practices.