Top BlackBerry Executives Depart Company

BlackBerry has a lot of work to do if it wants to turn its fortunes around. It took the first step by ousting former CEO Thorsten Heins and appointing turn-around legend John S. Chen as the interim CEO. Today, the company announced that it has made some changes in the management and board ranks. BlackBerry COO Kristian Tear is leaving the company, and so is its Chief Marketing Officer Frank Boulben.

BlackBerry’s Chief Financial Officer Brian Bidulka is now being replaced by James Yersh, who has worked at the company since 2008 as a senior vice president. Bidulka isn’t being shown the door immediately however, unlike Boulben and Tear, he will remain at the company as a special advisor to John Chen for the remainder of this fiscal year to assist with the company’s transition. In a statement, BlackBerry CEO John S. Chen once again reiterated his previous comments that the company is in it for the long-haul, and that it has a “strong cash position and continues, by a significant margin, to be the top provider of trusted and secure mobile device management solutions to enterprise customers.” It doesn’t come as a surprise that these executives have been relinquished of their roles at the company. During their tenure, BlackBerry has burned through its cash pile and aggressively lost marketshare around the world. For BlackBerry’s new direction, it seems like a logical move for Chen to surround himself with an almost entirely new top management team. BlackBerry also said that board member Roger Martin has resigned from the board.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: General
Tags: BlackBerry