Nokia today announced the resignation of Joerg Erlemeier, its chief operating officer (COO), with effect from January 1, 2020.
Nokia also said the telecom network maker will discontinue the role of COO and distribute its various functions to other Nokia leaders. Joerg Erlemeier has spent 25 years at Nokia.

“Joerg has been a long-time, trusted colleague,” said Nokia President and Chief Executive Officer Rajeev Suri. “He leaves the company with my thanks and deep appreciation for his many important contributions.”

Joerg Erlemeier, who has been with the company for 25 years and served as chief operations officer for the past two years, was responsible for global operations and procurement, the overall operating model and implementation of cost savings, among other functions.

Last month Nokia cut its outlook for this year and next because of the need to step up investment in 5G.

Nokia suspended dividend payments to conserve cash and pledged to speed the introduction of new 5G chipsets.