With investors remaining underwhelmed by the recent preview of its new BlackBerry 10 platform, Research in Motion has named two new executives to its leadership team. Kristian Tear and Frank Boulben have assumed their responsibilities as chief operating officer and chief marketing officer, respectively. Both are multilingual and have extensive experience in international operations, assets that are crucial to RIM’s future.
Tear (pictured, on left) will oversee all operational functions for handhelds and services, including research and development, products, global sales, manufacturing and supply chain. He most recently was executive vice president at Sony Mobile Communications, where among other achievements he was chairman of the board of Sony Mobile Inc Americas and Sony Mobile International AB, and previously held executive positions with Ericsson in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Boulben (pictured, on right) will be responsible for RIM’s global marketing efforts as it prepares to launch BlackBerry 10 and reclaim some of its market share. He joins RIM having been the former executive vice president, Strategy, Marketing and Sales for LightSquared, the ambitious wireless network company currently struggling to survive. Before that, Boulbed served as global director of Commercial Strategy for Vodafone Group and executive vice president of Brand and Consumer Marketing for Orange Group.
“Kristian and Frank bring extensive knowledge of the rapidly changing wireless global market and will help RIM as we sharpen our focus on delivering long-term value to our stakeholders,” said Thorsten Heins, RIM’s president and chief executive officer. “Most importantly, both Kristian and Frank possess a keen understanding of the emerging trends in mobile communications and computing.”
Related links:
Research in Motion – official site
BlackBerry – official site
Research in Motion – press release
