Jean-Francois Baril

Jean-François Baril is the CEO, Co-Founder, and Chairman of HMD Global. Since its founding in 2016, he has guided the Finnish company to become Europe’s largest smartphone manufacturer and the producer of Nokia phones.

He also serves as a board member and advisor to technology companies worldwide, including Foxconn, Devialet, Octonion/PIQ, Actility, Enevo, Bitfury (advisor). He is Professor Emeritus at the European Institute of Purchasing Management (EIPM) in Geneva and was an operating partner at Talomon Capital and EQT.

Jean-François began his career in 1981 as a Research Engineer after earning degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the École Nationale Supérieure d’Arts et Métiers in Paris and Stanford University. He later served as Operation Mgr at Schlumberger (West Africa), oversaw Hewlett-Packard’s PC supply chain, and then became Procurement Director at Compaq, reporting directly to Tim Cook (now Apple’s CEO). In 1999, he joined Nokia as Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer, transforming its supply chain into a world-class operation, named the best globally by AMR Research in 2007.

Most recently, he founded and led the consultancy Connecting Partners, the venture capital firm Ginko Ventures, and Smart Connect, a telecom-focused investment fund.