'delighted to announce': inmarsat appoints former nokia chief rajeev suri as new ceo

Inmarsat, the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, on February 24 announced that Rajeev Suri, former chief executive of Nokia, will be joining the business and assume the

role of CEO. According to a press release, Suri will also become the director of Connect Bidco Limited, the holding company for Inmarsat, from March 1, 2021. While taking to Twitter, the

company said that it is looking forward to welcoming Suri on board to support the firm’s future growth.  > Andrew Sukawaty Inmarsat’s Chairman said: “The Board is > delighted to 

welcome Rajeev to Inmarsat and we look forward to > working closely with him and with the existing Executive team. > Rajeev’s experience will support Inmarsat’s future growth and we

> look forward to the business transitioning successfully to another > capable leader”.  The current CEO of Inmarsat, Rupert Pearce, will be stepping down as CEO from February 28,

2021. As per the press note, Suri, on the other hand, had held the position of Nokia’s CEO for six years. Before that, he was the CEO of Nokia Siemens Networks for five years. Since stepping

down in 2020, he has worked in senior advisory roles with private equity firms Warburg Pincus and Apollo Global Management.  Suri has a record of accomplishments, including moving Nokia to

one of the top two players in the telecommunications infrastructure. During his 11-years of leadership, he led the consolidation of the network infrastructure from ten players to three major

players, leaving the overall industry much healthier. During his time as Nokia CEO, large shareholder returns in the form of dividends and share buybacks of EUR 8.5 billion were also made.

  Inmarsat informed that Suri recently even led Nokia’s leadership in 5G for communication service providers and successfully diversified Nokia into new business areas. He established an

interdependent software business that became the leading telecom software business in the world, quadrupled the annual recurring revenue run rate of the patent licensing business and led a

new foray into large enterprise networks with double-digit revenue growth over the last several years. Suri will be based in the United Kingdom.  > Rajeev Suri said: “I am very excited to

 join Inmarsat, and to work > closely with such skilled people, at such an important moment for > the company and the satellite communications industry as a > whole”.  > He 

added, “I have been very impressed by the capabilities and > ambitions of the company and its partner community and wish to pay > tribute to their ethos, drive and ingenuity. Together,

 they have > established technology leadership in satellite mobility, underpinned > by a unique understanding of the customer”.