Veteran Developer-Relations Exec Richard Kerris Leaving Nokia

Richard Kerris, who has been helping recruit developers for Nokia, has left the Finnish phone maker to set up his own consulting firm.

After spending the bulk of his career pitching developers on the benefits of one particular platform, Kerris says he wants to help developers navigate all the competing choices.

Kerris, who previously worked at Apple and HP/Palm, was at Nokia for a year and a half, helping the company woo developers to Windows Phone.

In an interview, Kerris said he is putting together a small team to start the firm, including a technologist and a well-known marketer.

“Our goal is to make it a small boutique, but a prestigious company,” Kerris told AllThingsD.

The new consulting firm will work to help both established companies and startups create a coherent mobile strategy.

Kerris said many entertainers, artists and brands have developed a mobile app, gotten some downloads, but then seen their mobile efforts fizzle.

Meanwhile, he said, there are lots of startups that have a good idea but not a strong enough business plan or technical strategy to fully implement it. Nor, he said, can they get the attention they need from the major platforms.

“They can’t even get a return call,” he said.

Presumably, Kerris’s firm would be able to help with that, given his contacts at Microsoft, Nokia, Apple and elsewhere.

Kerris said he left Nokia on good terms, and will remain a consultant to them for the forseeable future.