Stephen Elop

Stephen Elop was the Executive Vice President of the Microsoft Devices Group business unit until 17 June 2015. In the past he had worked in Nokia as the first non-Finn CEO and later as Executive Vice President, Devices & Services, as well as the head of the Microsoft Business Division, as the COO of Juniper Networks, as the president of worldwide field operations at Adobe Systems, in several senior positions in Macromedia and as the CIO at Boston Chicken. As then head of the Microsoft Devices Group, Elop was in charge of Microsoft’s varied product offerings including Lumia phones, Surface Pro 3, and Xbox One. He is currently Distinguished Engineering Executive in Residence within McMaster University’s Faculty of Engineering. On March 16 2016, Australia's largest telecommuinications provider Telstra announced, controversially that Elop would be joining the company in a newly created position as Group Executive Technology, Innovation and Strategy.

Stephen Elop joined Nokia as president and chief executive officer as of Sept. 21, 2010. He joined the company’s board of Directors in May 2011. Previously, Elop served as president of Microsoft’s Business Division, and was a member of Microsoft’s senior leadership team responsible for overall strategy. Before that, he was chief operating officer of Juniper Networks, a leading provider of high-performance network infrastructure; he also served as president of worldwide field operations of Adobe Systems Inc., which he joined following the 2005 acquisition of Macromedia Inc., where he was president and CEO.

He grew up in Ancaster, Canada, and earned a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and management from McMaster University, where he was subsequently awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. In his spare time, he enjoys his family and the many sports pursued by his five children.

Elop’s first mobile "phone" was a fake antenna that attached to his old Subaru that made it look like he had a phone. (His first real cellphone was a pocket-able Nokia.) He knows Morse code, thanks to his grandfather, who was a HAM radio operator in Canada — he was also one of the people who inspired Elop’s love of technology.