Mobile phone company Nokia has announced the appointment of Nigerian born Nick Imudia as the new managing director (MD) for its West and Central Africa operations.

The Finnish company's West and Central Africa operations cover Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Liberia, Chad, Niger, Benin and Togo. Imudia will be based in the Lagos Nokia office.

Imudia's work experience spans over 15 years: a time in which he has held several senior positions within the company including senior manager for retail IT products and systems; director of consumer and marketing solutions and head of sales and marketing solutions.

Imudia is expected to assume overall responsibility for driving the Nokia business in West Central Africa, managing the local team to deliver on sales, marketing, customer care, logistics, retail execution and developer engagement.

He is also expected to focus on delivering mobile products and services to customers and consumers, in line with the global Nokia strategy.

"Nokia is the market leader in West and Central Africa, with a recognised and respected brand," he said.

"My goal is to retain our high brand preference by serving the needs of our valued consumers. This will be achieved by working closely with our partners, operators, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers across the area to build a profitable business together.

“I will also build on the solid foundation we have established through our work with government agencies, local organisations and developers to enable a vibrant local ecosystem and relevant content, both across West Central Africa and in Nigeria as a focus market," he added.