Ericsson announced changes to the group structure and its Executive Team. A Business Area Emerging Business is created to increase focus on innovation and new business development, with initial focus on IoT and within distributed cloud solutions. The unit will over time identify, nurture and scale new businesses to support our customers to capture the potential of 5G and IoT.

Effective April 1, Åsa Tamsons is appointed Senior Vice President and head of Business Area Emerging Business and member of Ericsson’s Executive Team. Tamsons joins Ericsson from McKinsey & Company where she has held the position as partner in McKinsey’s Stockholm office. Her primary focus has been growth strategy, marketing and sales, high tech, and telecommunications, across Europe, the U.S., and Latin America. She has also been based in McKinsey’s San Francisco and Sao Paulo offices.

The company is also simplifying its group function structure, from currently six functions to four. The majority of current Group Function Technology & Emerging Business, including hosted group responsibilities such as the CTO office and Ericsson Research, now form part of Business Area Emerging Business. From February 1 current Group Function Marketing & Communications and Group Function Sustainability & Public Affairs is merged into a new Group Function Marketing & Corporate Relations, headed by Helena Norrman, currently head of Group Function Marketing & Communications.

This new group function team will continue to develop the sustainability and corporate responsibility strategic model and secure follow-up and reporting, while responsibility for setting the goals and delivery against targets, will reside in the business area or in units with closest responsibility.

Business Area Digital Services is undergoing significant transformation to create a profitable and strong offering in this strategically important area. Ulf Ewaldsson has decided to step down from leading the unit, following the completion of its build up phase, and assume the role as advisor to the CEO. He left the Executive Team on February 1. Jan Karlsson, former head of Solution Area BSS, stepped in as acting head of Business Area Digital Services.