webOS Dev Ambassador Richard Kerris Flees to Nokia

Another talent loss for Hewlett-Packard’s webOS team. Richard Kerris, VP of Worldwide Developer Relations for the division, has left the company for a new gig as Nokia’s Global Head of Developer Relations. “Great people are what makes the difference, always,” Marco Argenti, senior VP of Nokia’s Developer and Marketplace division said in a tweet announcing the hire. “I’m excited to welcome Richard Kerris in my team as Global Head of Developer Relations.”

In his new position, Kerris will oversee Nokia’s entire mobile portfolio, with Windows Phone obviously being the biggest priority.

Kerris officially left HP on October 24 after just under nine months on the job. Given the breadth of his involvement in promoting it, his departure is certainly another blow to webOS and HP’s Palm division, which sacked about 525 employees back in September.