Carl Belding made waves when the Europe, Middle East and Asia vice-president and general counsel of IBM left after more than 20 years to join mobile phone giant Nokia. He was the first non-American to be appointed general counsel at the technology giant, and those that knew him saw him as Big Blue through and through.

Belding carried enough clout within IBM to command the use of the company’s private jet and is ranked by peers as among the top five general counsel in Europe.

As Nokia’s chief legal officer, Belding moves back to a culture in which he is comfortable. The post is new, created to provide a focal point for Nokia’s 152 lawyers operating in 130 countries. But just as his successor at IBM will have a hard job filling his shoes, Belding too will have his work cut out as Nokia restructures. His record, though, suggests he is well up to the job.