Björn Georg Wilhelm Westerlund, titled ''

Vuorineuvos Vuorineuvos ("mining counselor", literally Finnish for "mountain counselor"; sv, bergsråd) is a Finnish honorary title granted by the President of Finland to leading figures in industry and commerce. The title is honorary and has no responsibi ...

'' (27 January 1912 in

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

– 11 March 2009 in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...

), was a Finnish businessman and a short-time minister in the

government of Finland sv, Finlands statsråd , border = , image = File:Finnish Government logo.png , image_size = 250 , caption = , date = , state = Republic of Finland , polity = , cou ...

. He was the former and first President and CEO of

Nokia Corporation Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications industry, telecommunications, technology company, information technology, and consumer electronics corporatio ...

that was formed in a 1967 merger between the three Finnish companies Nokia Company,

Finnish Rubber Works Nokian Footwear ( fi, Nokian Jalkineet) is a Finnish manufacturer of rubber boots. It was a part of Nokia (which is today known for its mobile phones) from 1967 to 1990, when it split into its own company. It was acquired by the Finnish company ...

and Kaapelitehdas (Cable Company). He was the CEO until his retirement in 1977. He remained Chairman of the Board until 1979. He was also the

Minister of Trade and Industry A Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry or variations is a ministry that is concerned with a nation's trade, industry and commerce. Notable examples are: List *Algeria: Ministry of Industry and Mi ...

for a short while (19 June to 14 July 1961) in V. J. Sukselainen's second government, as a representative of

Swedish People's Party The Swedish People's Party of Finland ( sv, Svenska folkpartiet i Finland (SFP); fi, Suomen ruotsalainen kansanpuolue (RKP)) is a political party in Finland aiming to represent the interests of the minority Swedish-speaking population of Finlan ...

References

External links

Westerlund, Björn (1912–2009).
Kansallisbiografia . 1912 births 2009 deaths People from the Province of Hanover Swedish-speaking Finns Swedish People's Party of Finland politicians Ministers of Trade and Industry of Finland 20th-century Finnish businesspeople Nokia people {{Finland-bio-stub