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FOREWORD

By Harri Saukkomaa

WHEN I STARTED WORK ON THE BOOK of Jorma Ollila’s life, I literally didn’t know what I had taken on. I imagined that the book would be ready in two or three years. Ultimately the book became an adventure that lasted over a decade, during which time I talked to Jorma Ollila about life, leadership, and the future of the world in different surroundings on land, in the air, and at sea. These interviews and conversations spread over hundreds of hours. I also interviewed more than fifty people who knew Jorma Ollila in one way or another. Several of my interviewees sadly died before they could see the book in print.

The book is a life story, in which Jorma Ollila tells his own tale. We decided very early on to tell the story in the first person. This is the most difficult form to use, but it’s the only one that ensures that the writer’s and the subject’s perspectives are aligned, and where there is a single voice. As the writer I was certainly impressed by the book’s subject matter and narrative style. I wrote most of the text, which is based on the interviews with Jorma Ollila and others. The book also draws on material in the public domain: books, academic studies, and media reporting.

While the book was being written we lived through the global financial crisis, the dotcom bubble, the 9/11 attacks on the United States, wars, revolutions, and various smaller events in world history.

Nokia saw good periods and bad periods and the crumbling of its dominant market position. In preparing the book I got to know the leaders of Nokia extremely well: their ideas, anxieties, joys, sorrows, and dreams. I learned how Nokia was led and why the company will have a place in the economic history of the world. I also learned why strategies are sometimes impossible to implement, and why success may be impossible, even though all the stars seem to be promisingly aligned. That is why this book is named Against All Odds.

I thank Jorma Ollila for some terrific conversations, for enjoyable and memorable moments. I thank everyone I interviewed and all the information sources I used. I thank our Finnish publisher Otava for its patience and strong support. I thank everyone who has read and commented on the manuscript at various stages. In particular I thank Tuukka Hetemäki, who edited and corrected the text during the final stages without sparing either his intellect or energy. And I thank my wife Melek Mazici for support and understanding during this extended project.

— Harri Saukkomaa