Nokia's chief designer Marko Ahtisaari has been promoted today, stepping up from his former position as Senior VP of Design, to a place on Nokia's Leadership Team and the new title of Executive Vice President, Design. Ahtisaari is behind the look and feel of the Lumia range, including the print-color inspired polycarbonate bodies of the Lumia 800 and 900, and the swipe interface of MeeGo that's one of the stand-out features of the N9. Despite the new title, he will continue to lead the design team in the creation of new products.

We had a chance to speak with Ahtisaari at Nokia World in October last year, and it's clear that his vision for Nokia is shared by the company as a whole. CEO Stephen Elop said of the promotion, "By appointing Marko to the Nokia Leadership Team, we believe his influence will ensure that design leadership becomes part of everything we make and also everything we do." Ahtisaari will take up the new post from the beginning of next month.