Smartphone start-up Jolla appointed a new CEO, as it confirmed it plans to showcase its first device imminently, ahead of a second-half 2013 launch.

The new appointee, Tomi Pienimaki (pictured), said that his task is to “listen very closely to our customers and further build the collaboration network… I also want to ensure that our team can fully concentrate on the most important task: bringing the first device to the market this year,” he continued.

The incumbent, Marc Dillon, is to focus his efforts on development of the Sailfish operating system as head of software development. He has been in charge of this activity since he joined Jolla, “and his strong focus on this will be crucial in the months leading to the market entry of the first Jolla phone and the company’s success when the sales starts”.

Pienimaki joins Jolla from Nordic logistics company Itella, where he was initially CTO before taking on the CIO position. It was noted that he has “gained extensive experience in business management and managing large technology organisations”.

The change of head seems to reflect the fact that Jolla is moving from being a start-up to the product delivery stage, at which point the role of the management moves to become more like that of an established company.

It is set to start a pre-sales campaign for its first device “after mid-May”, with sales beginning later this year.

In his period in the CEO’s chair, Dillon has played a major role in promoting the platform, including several appearances at Mobile World Congress, where he positioned Jolla’s Sailfish OS as an open alternative to rivals such as Android, iOS and Windows Phone.

In Jolla’s short life, Pienimaki is the third CEO. When the company first came into the spotlight last year, the role was filled by Jussi Hurmola, who subsequently was tasked with focusing on “Sailfish strategy”.

Today, Jolla also said that it has “strengthened its board”. It is chaired by Jolla founders Antti Saarnio, and comprises: Steve Lau from investor China Fortune; Mohamed Boukerche, who is “a representative of a private investor”; Ari Jaaksi, an “industry advisor and long time expert in open source development“; and Stefano Mosconi, CTO of Jolla.