Kari Kairamo

Kari Antero Oswald Kairamo, titled Vuorineuvos (31 December 1932 – 11 December 1988), was chairman and CEO of the Nokia Corporation and a significant and popular person in the industry, who was also actively involved in Finland's foreign policy.

Early on in his career, he had leading positions in several international firms in the paper industry.

The place Finland occupied on the map of Europe was about to change, and the cold war and protectionism in the Finnish trade politics were about to break down.

Kairamo saw the importance of Nokia, the biggest company in Finland, as an agent in getting Finland closer to Western Europe, although at the same time, he considered the Soviet Union to be an important trade partner and managed to retain close relations with major Soviet politicians and business leaders.

Kari Kairamo hanged himself in his home in Espoo on 11 December 1988, an act which Nokia at first attempted to hide.