Nokia’s chief legal officer, Carl Belding, has died following an accident in a hotel in
Switzerland last week. He died last Friday (21 September) after falling from his hotel balcony while on a business trip. He leaves a wife and two children.
Ranked by peers as one of the top general counsel in Europe, Belding was the international head of Nokia’s legal team of more than 150 lawyers, operating out of 130 countries.
Belding joined the company as its chief legal officer, replacing outgoing general counsel Ursula Ranin, in January 2006 after 20 years at IBM. He was the first non-American to take the role of general counsel at the tech giant, heading up its legal operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
A Nokia spokesperson said: “His death has been a great loss for all of us. Carl was a sharp legal mind, a great colleague and a good friend.”
Louise Bentland, the legal head of the company’s enterprise solutions business, will act as Nokia’s temporary legal director while the company looks for a replacement.
Earlier this month Belding spoke up for Nokia in relation to a patent infringement dispute with troubled US tech outfit Qualcomm, saying that his company was confident that Qualcomm’s claims would be proven unfounded.
Nokia is the world’s largest manufacturer of telephone handsets and has annual revenues of €41bn (£29bn).
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I had lunch with Carl in December 2005 just before he took up his post at Nokia. I was then General Counsel at Alcatel CIT in Paris. Carl impressed me, as he always did, with his positive outlook on life, his unstoppable enthusiasm for the law and his incredible depth of experience. He will be sadly missed by all who had the privilege to know him.
I met Carl at New York University in 1980 when we were attending a master degree in law (MCJ). He was charming, intelligent and successful. I am honored that I met Carl and wish the Belding's family peace and confort in this difficult time.
Carl, was a great lawyer and friend. I pray for him, his wife and kids.
I met Carl for the first time in 2001 at a General Counsel dinner in London; he immediately impressed me and from there we established a business and professional relationship that over the years was warm, friendly and productive. He was always very helpful and interested and I will miss him greatly. He was an outstanding lawyer, a warm personality and I wish his family lots of strength in this sad time.
My heart and sympathy goes out to Carl's family, friends and business colleagues at Nokia. He was a man of considerable substance, integrity and grit, and a lawyer of the highest caliber and ability.
This is such sad news. Carl was a leader among in-house counsel, driving change and emphasizing high professional standards. Plus, he was a good friend. I will miss him.
Carl was a friend who, with his lovely wife, made me feel at home while I worked in Stockholm over 20 years ago. His quick mind, dry humor, and ability to debate any issues brilliantly made him a fabulous dinner host. Although I hadn't seen him since he moved back to Europe from New York, I will always remember his great qualities and how he and his wife enriched my Swedish experience. Thank you Carl.
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