Tomi Niskakoski worked at Nokia for over 20 years and witnessed the radical transformation of Nokia during that time. In 2000, Tomi was assigned to start a technical customer support unit in Singapore. He experienced the cycle of building the organization from the ground up and eventually shutting it down in October 2004. At its largest, the organization employed 100 people from 16 different countries.

The case focuses on the learnings from these early career experiences, and how they shape Tomi’s 20-year career at Nokia. It allows for a rich discussion on the role of a leader in organizations of various sizes, in different geographic locations with different cultures - and how the meaning of being a leader has been evolving across these experiences.

This case study offers a platform to discuss the career development of a leader.