Nokia announced a major leadership restructuring, creating two new organizations focused on Technology and AI, and Corporate Development. The move is designed to sharpen innovation efforts, accelerate strategic growth, and better support partnerships and M&A activity. The changes take effect on October 1, 2025.
Pallavi Mahajan, a former Intel Corporate Vice President and General Manager for Data Center and AI Software, will become Nokia’s Chief Technology and AI Officer. Her new division will combine Nokia Bell Labs, Group Security, and technology leadership functions. Konstanty Owczarek, who previously led strategy and business development at HPE’s High Performance Compute, AI & Labs unit, will serve as Chief Corporate Development Officer, overseeing corporate development, partnerships, incubation, and NGP Capital. Both will join Nokia’s Group Leadership Team.
Nishant Batra, who has served as Chief Strategy and Technology Officer since 2020, will step down at the end of September. Nokia CEO Justin Hotard praised Batra for helping transform Bell Labs, advancing Nokia’s 6G position, and accelerating digital and security initiatives.
• New Technology and AI Organization integrates Bell Labs, technology leadership, and security under Mahajan
• Corporate Development Organization consolidates partnerships, M&A, incubation, and NGP Capital under Owczarek
• Both leaders join Nokia’s Group Leadership Team October 1, 2025
• Outgoing strategy chief Nishant Batra credited with positioning Nokia for 6G leadership and driving innovation strategy
“To succeed in the AI supercycle, we need to focus on where we can drive differentiation through our core technologies, strengthen our capabilities in security and AI, and maximize the value of partnerships in our ecosystem,” said Justin Hotard, Nokia President and CEO.
🌐 Analysis: Nokia’s creation of a dedicated Technology and AI Organization highlights its intent to compete more aggressively in the AI-driven networking era, where edge intelligence, security, and automation are reshaping telecom and enterprise markets. Mahajan’s background at Intel, HPE, and Juniper positions her to bridge cloud, AI, and networking domains, aligning with Nokia’s long-term 6G and edge ambitions. Owczarek’s appointment strengthens Nokia’s M&A and partnership strategy at a time of industry consolidation and sovereign AI investment. Rival Ericsson is also investing in AI-driven automation and strategic partnerships, making leadership execution a key differentiator.
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