Helsinki, Finland, April 2026 – Nokia has announced the joining of Kristen A. Pressner as Chief People Officer (CPO). She will also be a member of its Group Leadership Team.
This strategic appointment comes as Nokia continues its evolution into the AI era, with a strong focus on aligning culture, capabilities, and ways of working to support future growth and innovation.
Welcoming her to the organization, Nokia highlighted that Kristen Pressner brings more than three decades of global experience across people, culture, and transformation, with a strong track record of shaping inclusive, high-performing organizations and enabling business impact at scale.
Prior to joining Nokia, Kristen A. Pressner spent over two decades at Roche, where she most recently served as Global Head of People & Culture for Roche Diagnostics, supporting more than 40,000 employees across 150+ countries and contributing to a business with over $14 billion in revenue.
Earlier at Roche, she served as Vice President, Head of HR for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America, leading HR strategy across one of the organization’s largest regions, followed by roles in Global Learning & Development and Talent Management, where she built enterprise-wide talent, leadership, and succession strategies.
Before Roche, she spent over nine years at Texas Instruments, holding progressive HR leadership roles across global HR operations, mergers & acquisitions, talent acquisition, and international assignments.
She began her career at Spherion, where she demonstrated strong business leadership with full P&L responsibility.
Strategic Significance
As Chief People Officer, Kristen Pressner will play a critical role in:
- Aligning people strategy with AI-led business transformation
- Strengthening leadership capability and global culture
- Driving organizational effectiveness and workforce transformation
- Enabling scalable, high-performance teams across global markets
Her appointment reinforces Nokia’s commitment to building a future-ready, people-centric organization as it advances connectivity in the AI era
Kristen A. Pressner is also a distinguished recipient of the HR TODAY Global 100 HR Leaders – Hall of Fame 2025, recognizing her global impact and leadership in the HR profession.
About Nokia
Nokia is a global leader in connectivity for the AI era, with expertise across fixed, mobile, and transport networks.
Powered by innovation from Nokia Bell Labs, the company is advancing connectivity to enable intelligent ecosystems, helping businesses and societies unlock new opportunities in a digitally connected world.
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