Hmd Global Oy
HMD Global Oy is a private limited company (osakeyhtiö) registered in Finland under business ID 2724044-2 with the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH), with its registered office at Bertel Jungin aukio 9, 02600 Espoo. According to PRH’s open company register data, the company was incorporated on 9 November 2015 and entered in the Finnish Trade Register on 17 November 2015, and remains active. Its current legal name, HMD Global Oy, has been registered since 16 November 2021, having previously traded under the near-identical name “HMD global Oy” from April 2016. The company’s registered main business line is classified as other telecommunications activities.
HMD Global Oy was established by a team of former Nokia and Microsoft Mobile executives led by Jean-Francois Baril and publicly launched in December 2016 to design, manufacture and sell Nokia-branded mobile phones and tablets. Its original activity rested on a licensing agreement with Nokia Technologies, the brand and patent-licensing unit of Nokia Corporation, which in 2016 granted HMD Global exclusive worldwide rights to the Nokia brand on phones and tablets, together with cellular standard-essential patent licences, in exchange for royalty payments; Nokia took no equity stake or board seat under that original arrangement. In August 2023, Nokia and HMD Global amended the licence so that HMD’s exclusive right to sell Nokia-branded smartphones would expire by March 2026, and HMD Global has since developed a self-owned product line marketed under the HMD brand alongside continuing Nokia-branded feature phones.
Since February 2024, the group has traded under the consumer-facing name “Human Mobile Devices,” while HMD Global Oy remains its unchanged legal name in the Finnish Trade Register. In its own February 2026 announcement, Human Mobile Devices reported its tenth consecutive profitable quarter for 2025 and set out plans to expand feature-phone digital services, including a built-in digital wallet and an AI assistant, its Softlock micro-financing platform, a new enterprise-focused Secure device division, and the HMD Dub audio and wearables range. Separately, HMD Global Oy’s own Finland-filed financial statements for the year ended 2024 report company-level revenue of approximately EUR 522.5 million, a decline of about 17.8% on the prior year; this Finnish statutory figure relates to HMD Global Oy itself and is not necessarily on the same consolidation basis as the group-wide profitability described in the company’s 2026 press material.
- Company fundamentals
- Corporate linkage & group structures
- Digitized company financials
- Firmographics — websites, social profiles, revenue and employee estimates
Shareholders
Shareholders of HMD Global Oy
HMD Global Oy is a private company, and Finland’s free basic company search (PRH/YTJ) does not publish a shareholder register for private limited companies; a complete share ledger, if disclosed at all, would only appear in a paid Kaupparekisteriote extract or the company’s own internal register, neither of which was available for this profile. Ownership information here is therefore drawn from disclosures made by HMD Global’s own investors in their own regulatory filings and annual reports, not from HMD Global Oy itself. Smart Connect LP, a Luxembourg-registered private equity vehicle associated with HMD Global co-founder Jean-Francois Baril, is widely reported in secondary sources as the company’s founding and largest shareholder, but no dated, quantified holding for Smart Connect LP has been located in an official filing. Nokia Corporation, through its Nokia Technologies unit, converted a EUR 60 million convertible loan issued in 2019 into equity during 2020; Nokia’s own 2020 Annual Report records this as a EUR 63 million investment representing an approximate 10% ownership interest, held as an investment in associate. FIH Mobile Limited, a Hong Kong-listed subsidiary of the Foxconn/Hon Hai group and an HMD manufacturing partner, disclosed a 14.38% ownership interest in HMD Global in its own financial statements for the 2020 financial year. Google LLC and Qualcomm Incorporated joined a US$230 million Series A2 funding round alongside Nokia, announced in August 2020, though neither company’s resulting percentage stake has been publicly disclosed. An earlier US$100 million Series A round in 2018 reportedly gave HMD Global a valuation above US$1 billion.
Ultimate beneficial ownership
No ultimate beneficial owner is presented here. Smart Connect LP is reported to be controlled by Jean-Francois Baril, but because neither Smart Connect LP’s percentage holding in HMD Global Oy nor the structure of Baril’s interest in Smart Connect LP has been officially disclosed and dated, the ownership chain cannot be multiplied through, and no calculated UBO percentage is given, consistent with the rule against estimating a UBO figure when part of the chain is missing.
Data availability
Shareholder information for HMD Global Oy is Major shareholders only: several investor stakes are confirmed through the investors’ own dated disclosures, but no complete, dated shareholder register for HMD Global Oy itself has been published, and the reported founding shareholder, Smart Connect LP, has not disclosed an exact, dated holding in a source reviewed for this profile.
Sources
- Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH), Business Information System open data, avoindata.prh.fi, retrieved September 2026
- Nokia Corporation, Annual Report 2020, retrieved September 2026
- FIH Mobile Limited, Annual Report for the financial year ended 31 December 2020
- TechCrunch, “Google, Nokia, Qualcomm are investors in $230M Series A2 for Finnish phone maker, HMD Global,” 11 August 2020
- CNBC, “Nokia phones maker HMD picks up $230 million in new funding from Google, Qualcomm and Nokia,” 11 August 2020
Officers
3
Directors and officers of HMD Global Oy
Finland’s free PRH/YTJ company search does not publish the names of a private limited company’s board of directors or managing director; that information is only available, where filed, in a paid Kaupparekisteriote extract from the Trade Register, which was not obtained for this profile. The officer information below is therefore drawn from HMD Global’s own official website rather than from a Trade Register filing. As published on hmd.com and retrieved in September 2026, Jean-Francois Baril holds the role of Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; he has served as a director of HMD Global since the company’s founding in 2016 and has held the Chief Executive Officer role since around September 2022, following the resignation of the previous CEO, Florian Seiche, who had held the position since his appointment was announced on 30 October 2017. HMD Global’s other current officers named on its own website are Anssi Rönnemäa (Chief Financial Officer), Alain Lejeune (Chief Operating Officer), Jari Koljonen (General Counsel), KC Chang (VP Product), Emma McDonnell (VP HR), Ravi Kunwar (VP, India & APAC) and Sanmeet Kochhar (VP, AMEA). These are the company’s self-published executive roles rather than a Trade-Register-filed board list, and may not correspond exactly to the statutory board of directors registered with PRH. No nationality is disclosed for any of these individuals in the sources reviewed, and none has been inferred from name, residence or correspondence address.
Recent officer changes
- Jean-Francois Baril began serving as Chief Executive Officer, in addition to his existing Chairman role, around September 2022, following Florian Seiche’s resignation announced on LinkedIn in September/October 2022 without a formal successor being named at the time.
- Florian Seiche had been appointed Chief Executive Officer and elected to HMD Global’s board on 30 October 2017, having previously served as the company’s President.
Data availability
Officer information for HMD Global Oy is Partial: current executive titles are Full as published on the company’s own website, but the underlying Trade-Register-filed board of directors and managing director, along with appointment dates and any nationality or residence data the Register might hold, is Restricted, being accessible in Finland only through a paid company extract rather than the free basic search used for this profile.
Sources
- HMD Global, “Leadership team,” hmd.com, retrieved September 2026
- HMD Global, “Leadership appointments at HMD Global,” official press release, 30 October 2017
- NokiaPowerUser, “Co-Founder Jean-Francois dons CEO hat for HMD Global (Nokia Mobile) now,” 13 November 2022
- Telecompaper, “Seiche steps down as CEO of Nokia phone maker HMD Global,” October 2022
Registry feed — rows exactly as filed with Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH), including entries the profile above does not cover.
Group Structure
Group structure of HMD Global Oy
No parent company for HMD Global Oy has been identified from official sources; the company operates as the Finnish legal entity of the group that trades under the “Human Mobile Devices” (HMD) name. HMD Global Oy maintains at least one confirmed overseas branch, HMD Global Oy UK Branch, registered with UK Companies House under number FC033770 as an establishment of the same Finnish legal entity rather than a separate subsidiary company. HMD Global Oy’s relationship with Nokia Corporation has two distinct elements that should not be conflated. First, since 2016 Nokia Technologies, the brand and patent-licensing unit of Nokia Corporation, has granted HMD Global exclusive worldwide rights to use the Nokia brand on mobile phones and tablets and to license cellular standard-essential patents, in exchange for royalty payments; this is a commercial licensing arrangement, and Nokia took no equity or board position under the original deal. Second, and separately, Nokia became a minority investor in HMD Global in 2020, after converting a 2019 convertible loan into equity; Nokia’s own 2020 Annual Report records an approximate 10% ownership interest, held as an investment in associate rather than as a controlling parent stake. Neither element makes Nokia Corporation the parent or owner of HMD Global Oy. FIH Mobile Limited, a Hong Kong-listed member of the Foxconn/Hon Hai group, is both a manufacturing partner for HMD Global’s devices and, per its own 2020 annual report, a further minority investor holding approximately 14.38%. In August 2023, Nokia and HMD Global amended their brand-licensing agreement so that HMD’s exclusive licence for Nokia-branded smartphones will expire by March 2026; HMD Global has since launched its own, separately branded product line. Trade press reporting from September 2025, citing unnamed sources and the Economic Times of India rather than an official statement from either company, suggested the separate Nokia feature-phone licence had been extended to around 2029; this has not been independently confirmed from an official source and is presented here only as reported.
Verified corporate relationships
| Entity | Country | Registration number | Relationship | Ownership | Status | Information date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMD Global Oy UK Branch | United Kingdom | FC033770 | Overseas branch of the same legal entity | Not applicable | Active | UK Companies House, retrieved September 2026 |
| Nokia Corporation (via Nokia Technologies) | Finland | Not a subsidiary or parent; licensor and minority investor | Brand/patent licensor; minority investor | Approximately 10% (calculated from a EUR 63 million investment, 2020) | Licence active; equity held as investment in associate | 2020 (investment); August 2023 (licence amendment) |
| FIH Mobile Limited | Hong Kong (Foxconn/Hon Hai group) | HKEX: 2038 | Minority investor and manufacturing partner | Approximately 14.38% (FY2020, as self-disclosed) | Reported as at FY2020; no more recent disclosure located | FY2020 annual report |
Recent structural changes
- 2016: Nokia Technologies signed a decade-long worldwide brand and patent-licensing agreement with the newly formed HMD Global, without taking an equity stake.
- 2020: Nokia converted a 2019 convertible loan into an approximate 10% equity interest in HMD Global; Google, Qualcomm and Nokia jointly provided a US$230 million funding round.
- August 2023: Nokia and HMD Global amended the brand-licensing agreement so HMD’s exclusive Nokia-branded smartphone licence will expire by March 2026, and HMD Global began developing its own separately branded product line, launched from February 2024.
Data availability
Corporate-linkage information for HMD Global Oy is Partial: its UK branch and its two disclosed minority investors are documented through an official government registry and the investors’ own filings, but HMD Global Oy has not published a complete ownership or subsidiary structure of its own, and the extent of its reported founding shareholder’s holding has not been confirmed in an official filing reviewed for this profile.
Sources
- Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH), Business Information System open data, avoindata.prh.fi, retrieved September 2026
- UK Companies House, company number FC033770, retrieved September 2026
- Nokia Corporation, Annual Report 2020
- FIH Mobile Limited, Annual Report for the financial year ended 31 December 2020
- Nokia Corporation and HMD Global, licensing agreement amendment reporting, August-September 2023, as reported by Nokiamob and industry trade press
Registry feed — rows exactly as filed with Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH), including entries the profile above does not cover.
Hmd Global Oy
Finland
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the legal name and business ID of the company that makes Nokia-branded phones?
The company is HMD Global Oy, a Finnish private limited company (osakeyhtiö) registered with the Finnish Patent and Registration Office under business ID 2724044-2.
Where is HMD Global Oy registered?
HMD Global Oy's registered office is at Bertel Jungin aukio 9, 02600 Espoo, Finland, according to PRH's open company register data.
When was HMD Global Oy incorporated?
PRH open data records an incorporation date of 9 November 2015, with entry in the Finnish Trade Register on 17 November 2015. The company was publicly launched under the HMD Global name in December 2016.
What is HMD Global Oy's legal form and current registry status?
HMD Global Oy is an osakeyhtiö (private limited company). PRH's open data records it as active in the Finnish Trade Register, with company information last updated 31 December 2025.
Does Nokia Corporation own HMD Global Oy?
No. HMD Global Oy's core relationship with Nokia is a brand and patent licensing arrangement: since 2016, Nokia Technologies has licensed the Nokia brand and cellular patents to HMD Global for royalties, without taking equity or a board seat. Separately, Nokia became a minority investor of around 10% in 2020 after converting a loan into equity. Neither the licence nor the minority investment makes Nokia Corporation the parent or owner of HMD Global Oy.
What is HMD Global Oy's principal business activity?
HMD Global Oy designs, manufactures, licenses and sells telecommunications equipment, principally Nokia-branded and, since 2024, its own HMD-branded mobile phones, feature phones and related accessories. Its registered main business line is classified as other telecommunications activities.
Why is HMD Global also referred to as "Human Mobile Devices"?
From February 2024, the group began trading under the consumer-facing name "Human Mobile Devices," reusing the HMD initials, as it diversified beyond Nokia-branded products. The legal entity's registered name in the Finnish Trade Register remains HMD Global Oy.
Is HMD Global Oy still licensed to sell Nokia-branded smartphones?
Nokia and HMD Global amended their licensing agreement in August 2023 so that HMD's exclusive licence to sell Nokia-branded smartphones will expire by March 2026. HMD has continued selling Nokia-branded feature phones, and trade press reported in September 2025, without official confirmation from either company, that the feature-phone licence had been separately extended to around 2029.
Who are HMD Global Oy's major disclosed shareholders?
Smart Connect LP, a Luxembourg vehicle associated with co-founder Jean-Francois Baril, is widely reported as the founding and largest shareholder, though no dated official percentage has been located. Nokia Corporation (approximately 10%, per its 2020 Annual Report) and FIH Mobile Limited (14.38%, per its FY2020 annual report) are the two investors with dated, quantified disclosures. Google LLC and Qualcomm Incorporated also invested in 2020 without disclosing their resulting stakes.
Has HMD Global Oy disclosed a verified ultimate beneficial owner?
No. While Smart Connect LP is reported to be controlled by Jean-Francois Baril, neither its exact holding in HMD Global Oy nor Baril's interest in Smart Connect LP has been officially disclosed and dated, so no ownership chain can be calculated and no UBO percentage is presented.
Who currently leads HMD Global Oy?
Jean-Francois Baril, a co-founder of the company, is named on its official website as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He has been a director since the company's founding in 2016 and has served as CEO since around September 2022.
What happened to former CEO Florian Seiche?
Florian Seiche was appointed Chief Executive Officer and joined HMD Global's board on 30 October 2017, having previously served as the company's President. He resigned as CEO in September/October 2022, as announced on LinkedIn and reported by trade press, without a successor being named at the time; Jean-Francois Baril subsequently took on the CEO role alongside his existing Chairman position.
Does HMD Global Oy's active registration status mean it is currently trading profitably?
No. An active Trade Register status confirms legal registration, not current trading performance or financial stability. HMD Global Oy's own Finland-filed accounts for the year ended 2024 report revenue of approximately EUR 522.5 million, down about 17.8% year on year; this is a separate, company-level figure from the group-wide profitability that Human Mobile Devices has described in its own 2026 press material, and neither figure implies a compliance or risk conclusion.
Does zavia.ai maintain a live registry connection or monitor HMD Global Oy directly?
This profile is compiled from the Finnish Patent and Registration Office's open company data, UK Companies House records, the investors' own annual reports, HMD Global's official website and press materials, and reputable trade and business press, retrieved and reviewed as of September 2026. Zavia.ai does not operate a live API connection to PRH or to HMD Global's own systems, and time-sensitive details should be verified against the company's current filings and announcements.