Nokia starts Digital Health unit after Withings takeover
Nokia announced that it has closed the acquisition of Withings earlier than expected. Through this acquisition, originally announced in April, Nokia Technologies has established a new Digital Health business unit led by Cedric Hutchings, formerly CEO of Withings, who reports to Ramzi Haidamus, president of Nokia Technologies.
The digital health business unit is comprised of members from both Withings’ employees and Nokia’s pool of preventative health and patient care experts. This unit will continue Withings’ work in the connected health industry and will expand on the French company’s current offerings.
The product line will likely include activity trackers, smart body analyzer scales, thermometers, blood pressure monitors, home and baby monitors, in addition to other products.
“This is the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the history of Nokia Technologies as we extend our product portfolio to include a series of powerful digital health technologies,” said Ramzi Haidamus, president of Nokia Technologies, in a statement.
Hutchings announced his new role in a post this morning on Withings’ company blog. The acquisition was originally announced on April 26th, but was not expected to close so soon.
Withings can be credited with pioneering the connected health movement, as it was one of the first companies to enter the industry.
The acquisition seems to make sense for both parties. At the time of the purchase, Nokia stated smart health would play a large role in the future of the Finnish company.
Furthermore, since founding the company in 2008, Hutchings and his co-founder Chairman Eric Careel have led the company into several avenues of connected health, including baby monitors and smart home devices, to compliment its traditional fitness wearables.
“The Nokia brand is synonymous with innovation, connectivity and consumer technology and the acquisition of Withings puts us in a perfect position to capitalize on the huge opportunity in the health space. We’re excited to welcome the Withings team to the Nokia family.”
On 9 June, Nokia Technologies will host an event in San Francisco to share its vision for digital health and showcase its products, coinciding with the opening of its San Francisco office.
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