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FOREWORD

By Jorma Ollila

THE OUTLOOK FOR BOOKS BY CHIEF EXECUTIVES, and especially for the memoirs they write, is poor. Their recollections rarely enthrall readers. The company grows, its revenue and profits rise, it gets into difficulties, and a crisis ensues. Days are full of meetings, discussions, strategy groups, and travelling. Looking back, it’s easy to gloss over the mistakes, while success is always the fruit of good planning and brilliant leadership. I don’t believe in hindsight, or in rationalizations after the event.

Nevertheless, one can always learn something from history, though the most important lesson is probably that events do not repeat themselves when one is running a company.

All these reservations and doubts churned about in my mind when, at the request of my Finnish publisher Otava, I began, at the beginning of the 2000s, to think about writing a book. I decided that the book would describe my own role in and perspective on the story of Nokia, which is unique in Finland, Europe, and indeed the world. I decided I would also write about other people who had a part in this story. I would describe how things felt as they happened. This is what I have tried to do throughout. Only the end of the book was written in the last year; the rest was written as things happened. The book was written over the course of more than ten years, and I hope that its long period of gestation will only add to the reader’s pleasure.

The reader should bear in mind that I am not a historical researcher, and my book is not intended as an objective company history. Martti Häikiö has written an excellent history of Nokia from 1865 to 2000. Its abridged English translation is a worthy background for any reader. My book is intended to portray only my own perspective, observations, and experiences of Nokia at different stages in its development. I have selected the events that left the strongest impression on me, or struck me as interesting and important.

The book goes up to 2010, when Stephen Elop took over as chief executive. This was a conscious choice. It is still far too early to evaluate recent events at Nokia. Also, I stepped down as chairman of the board of directors in spring 2012, so I really don’t have much first-hand knowledge of what has happened at Nokia recently. The epilogue, however, goes up to the beginning of September 2013, after the decision to sell Nokia’s mobile phone business to Microsoft.

Harder than knowing what to write about Nokia was deciding what to say about myself. My media image has only a distant relation to reality. It’s not easy to write about private matters, and I haven’t given a full account of them. I particularly wanted to illuminate how I became chief executive. I didn’t plan my career at all, but many factors came together to make it what it was. I have also described my childhood and my roots in Ostrobothnia, because I believe they are significant. But above all I believe that in Finland it’s possible for people to get on in life irrespective of their background, if the will and the effort are there.

I was a young adult in the 1970s. I wanted to give my own account of that time both in Finland and in the wider world. It’s only one viewpoint, but I have tried to be honest about it. I didn’t really thrive in the Finland of the seventies. This led me to make fundamental decisions that changed the direction of my life.

I have also said a little about my family, but only reluctantly. I have tried to protect my privacy as far as possible. My family has nevertheless paid a price for my work and the media exposure it has brought. Without the support and understanding of Liisa and our children I wouldn’t have achieved anything it would have been worth writing a book about.

I have put my thoughts into words in part orally and in part in writing. Harri Saukkomaa, the other creator of this book, has produced most of the text. I thank everyone who, over the years, has helped make this book possible: the interviewees, the people in the background, and our publishers Otava.

— Jorma Ollila