No sooner has Nokia (NYSE: NOK) acquired Dopplr, it’s also appointing the travel social network’s CEO Marko Ahtissari to lead a new design and consumer experience unit, the handset maker tells us, confirming ArcticStartup’s report.
The new team brings Nokia’s design and user experience functions together. For Ahtisaari, it’s a return to Nokia proper. He was design director at the handset maker from 2005 to 2006, when he left to lead design at ad-funded mobile network Blyk. He started leading Dopplr in December.
The reorg means an exit for Nokia’s current design head Alastair Curtis after 16 years in the company. Nokia says Ahtisaari’s role will be wider.
Nokia could do a lot better at overhauling the old Symbian S60 for its modern touchscreen handsets.
The company has said it will leave Dopplr operating as a standalone service but will use the skills of its small team to enhance its services proposition, especially in maps.