KONE Corporation, stock exchange release, September 17, 2015 at 1.15 p.m. EET
Changes in the Executive Board - KONE establishes a new Technology & Innovation unit
KONE will establish a new Technology & Innovation unit headed by a Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Tomio Pihkala (40) has been appointed CTO of KONE to head this unit. He has worked in various roles within KONE since 2001, and has been a member of the Executive Board since 2013, responsible for Operations Development.
The new Technology & Innovation unit brings together KONE's Research & Development and IT functions.
"By establishing a dedicated Technology & Innovation unit we will speed up our development in a changing business environment. The opportunities from digitalization are accelerating in our industry. We see a lot of new and exciting ways to improve customer and user experience as well as the quality and productivity of our operations. Tomio's strong technology background and his future-oriented approach make him an ideal person for this new role," says Henrik Ehrnrooth, President and CEO, KONE Corporation.
Mikko Korte (46) has been appointed Executive Vice President, Operations Development. KONE Operations Development includes KONE's installation operations as well as quality, safety and environment functions.
Mikko Korte has 20 years of global experience in various senior roles within KONE, most recently heading KONE's new equipment business in the Americas region.
"Mikko has broad experience from various business lines and geographical regions within KONE. I am confident that his strong leadership and competence in driving operational excellence will result in a continued improvement of our competitiveness."
Tomio Pihkala and Mikko Korte will report to Henrik Ehrnrooth, President and CEO. Both appointments will be effective as of January 1, 2016.
For further information, please contact:
Max Alfthan, EVP, Marketing & Communications, KONE Corporation, tel. +358 204 75 4775
Kerttu Tuomas, EVP, Human Resources, KONE Corporation, tel. +358 204 75 4373
Interview and image requests: Liisa Kivelä, Director, Communications, tel. +358 204 75 4330, or media@kone.com
Sender:
KONE Corporation
Henrik Ehrnrooth
President and CEO
Kerttu Tuomas
Executive Vice President
Human Resources
About KONE
KONE is one of the global leaders in the elevator and escalator industry. KONE's objective is to offer the best People Flow® experience by developing and delivering solutions that enable people to move smoothly, safely, comfortably and without waiting in buildings in an increasingly urbanizing environment. KONE provides industry-leading elevators, escalators, automatic building doors and integrated solutions to enhance the People Flow in and between buildings. KONE's services cover the entire lifetime of a building, from the design phase to maintenance, repairs and modernization solutions. In 2014, KONE had annual net sales of EUR 7.3 billion, and at the end of the year over 47,000 employees. KONE class B shares are listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd. in Finland.
www.kone.com