Mika Sarimo

Background

About Mika Sarimo

Over the past 25 years of my career I have worked across the diverse yet closely linked fields of creative business, design and marketing. My time from 1998 to 2003 with Nokia Mobile Phones taught me much about the world of international branding, marketing and sales. That was the pioneering era in marketing with blockbuster Hollywood movies. The Nokia Game on-line promotion was awarded with a Cannes Gold Lion and was played by over 1 million people in 28 countries generating tens of chat sites established by the players - the social media of its time. Following Nokia I held CEO positions with leading creative and consultancy businesses. I led Bob Helsinki during their rise to becoming one of the top 50 creative agencies globally. After Bob, and already 15 years in advertising, Marketing Clinic offered a natural career path - first as a senior consultant I worked with several B2C and B2B companies. Later on as CEO of Marketing Clinic Finland I was responsible of keeping up the double digit growth with high profitability. In 2011 I joined Fazer as VP of marketing and product development, with the directive to internationalize their Bakery & Confectionery business. A year later, I was promoted to SVP, Head of Confectionery Business, where our team quickly developed and implemented a new operative business model, and also created a solid roadmap for portfolio development. My responsibilities as SVP ranged from business strategy development, customer insight, and concept and product development, to brand and product portfolio management. Wise & Sally and Sarimo Ventures have been great opportunities to apply my extensive leadership and management skills to lift customers´ innovative and commercial capabilities to new levels. One of the assignements as Interim Executive took me to HMD Global, the exclusive licensee of the Nokia brand for mobile phones & tablets. Some similarities, but lot of differences to the time 15 years ago -)