RIM executive shakeup continues with new COO, CMO

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Research in Motion announced on Tuesday that it has hired a new chief operating officer and a chief marketing officer, continuing a shakeup of the company's executive team.

Kristian Tear will serve as RIM's new chief operating officer. He comes to the struggling smartphone maker from Sony Mobile Communications, where he served as executive vice president.

Tear's new role at RIM will have him oversee all operational functions for handhelds and services, including research and development, products, global sales, manufacturing and supply chain.

And Frank Boulben, former executive vice president at LightSquared, will be the new chief marketing officer at RIM. In that position, he will oversee global marketing efforts.

"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, chief executive and president at RIM. "Most importantly, both Kristian and Frank possess a keen understanding of the emerging trends in mobile communications and computing."

RIM


RIM reported dismal earnings late last month as three major executives, including co-founder Jim Balsillie, left the company. The company's quarterly results were so poor that the RIM had to publicly clarify it did not plan to pull out of the consumer sector.

In April, RIM lost two more top executives, and the company revealed it was weighing its strategic options, which could include licensing its BlackBerry mobile operating system. The changes at RIM have continued since the company's co-CEOs stepped down in January, and were replaced by former chief operating officer Thorsten Heins.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 24
    uguysrnutsuguysrnuts Posts: 459member
    Great! So when is Mr.Heins stepping down?
  • Reply 2 of 24
    jkichlinejkichline Posts: 1,369member


    (Taps plays softly in the background)

  • Reply 3 of 24


    "Kristian Tear will serve as RIM's new chief operating officer. He comes to the struggling smartphone maker from Sony Mobile Communications, where he served as executive vice president."


     


    "Kristian and Frank bring extensive knowledge of the rapidly changing wireless global market..."


     


    Of course Kristian knows about  the rapidly changing wireless global market. He's got all sorts of experience seeing how fast it changed and how his old company got completely left behind with that change. Sounds like a great pick-up for RIM.

  • Reply 4 of 24
    kent909kent909 Posts: 731member


    I miss the "good ole days" when these guys would get a big bonus instead.

  • Reply 5 of 24
    Stick a fork in them, they're done!
  • Reply 6 of 24
    kent909kent909 Posts: 731member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by uguysrnuts View Post



    Great! So when is Mr.Heins stepping down?


    Scott Thompson may be available soon. Is it all ego or is it a big signing bonus that gets people to leave their current position and go to a sinking ship?

  • Reply 7 of 24


    GIven that it's a Canadian company I think that the sound in the background is actually, "The Last Post"...

  • Reply 8 of 24
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member


    sound like they are going the way of Nortel, a round robin of new executive with new idea on how long they can delay closing the doors. At least the plan to sell of the IP before the banks get their hands on it and attempt to sell it to patent trolls.

  • Reply 9 of 24
    kolchakkolchak Posts: 1,398member


    They don't need a shakeup. They need a magnitude 9 earthquake if they're going to survive.

  • Reply 10 of 24
    jmgregory1jmgregory1 Posts: 474member


    What they need, and what they're getting or going to get down the line is just more of the same.  They don't need new pencil pushers, product managers or bean counters.  They need creative people with vision to see beyond the paycheck or options they're getting.  But it won't happen because shareholders of most companies don't think that way and the people in place now don't think that way.  I'm guessing they're paying some high high priced consultants to tell them a bunch of crap about getting people that execute, that can see from 30,000 feet up, that can onboard quickly and get roped into EXACT same crap that got the company in the trouble it's in now.


     


    Frankly, I believe that if business schools around the world don't start thinking "differently", they're going to be proven to be ineffective at producing the business leaders of tomorrow and will themselves become obsolete or unable to compete with business schools that do think and act differently.


     


    If you can guess by my comments, I'm one of those people that has always thought differently, eschewed the business classes in college and have learned how to be creative in business, helping to sell two successful companies.  I'm now an owner of wood product and technology company that is bringing a product to market that is unique in the world, forcing even the designers we call on to think differently about what is possible.  It's amazing how many people, even "creatives" can fall into the trap of just doing their job, not looking at how they can improve products or processes.

  • Reply 11 of 24
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,857member


    I guess the fact that the CMO was replaced indicates they realized just how dumb the Wake up/Be bold ad campaign is.

     

  • Reply 12 of 24
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member


    They'd be smart to jump on the Windows phone bandwagon. Their niche was always the Windows-based enterprise IT industry anyway. I really don't think there is room for four mobile OSs at the present. Probably one reason Palm sold out, however at that time BB was one of the three major OSs, but now that Windows phone is poised to take third place, RIM is the odd man out.


     


    If not it will probably shake out something like this:


     


    Android 50%


    Apple 30%


    Windows 10%


    BB 5%


    Others 5%

  • Reply 13 of 24
    dick applebaumdick applebaum Posts: 12,527member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jmgregory1 View Post


    What they need, and what they're getting or going to get down the line is just more of the same.  They don't need new pencil pushers, product managers or bean counters.  They need creative people with vision to see beyond the paycheck or options they're getting.  But it won't happen because shareholders of most companies don't think that way and the people in place now don't think that way.  I'm guessing they're paying some high high priced consultants to tell them a bunch of crap about getting people that execute, that can see from 30,000 feet up, that can onboard quickly and get roped into EXACT same crap that got the company in the trouble it's in now.


     


    Frankly, I believe that if business schools around the world don't start thinking "differently", they're going to be proven to be ineffective at producing the business leaders of tomorrow and will themselves become obsolete or unable to compete with business schools that do think and act differently.


     


    If you can guess by my comments, I'm one of those people that has always thought differently, eschewed the business classes in college and have learned how to be creative in business, helping to sell two successful companies.  I'm now an owner of wood product and technology company that is bringing a product to market that is unique in the world, forcing even the designers we call on to think differently about what is possible.  It's amazing how many people, even "creatives" can fall into the trap of just doing their job, not looking at how they can improve products or processes.



     


    Can you post any info on the wood product and technology company?

  • Reply 14 of 24
    uguysrnutsuguysrnuts Posts: 459member
    Lame excuse. The buck stops at the CEO. The fact that the ad saw the light of day at all shows just how out of touch Heins really is. He seems to be just riding it out until RIM is dead.
    anonymouse wrote: »
    I guess the fact that the CMO was replaced indicates they realized just how dumb the Wake up/Be bold ad campaign is.
  • Reply 15 of 24
    suddenly newtonsuddenly newton Posts: 13,819member
    kolchak wrote: »
    They don't need a shakeup. They need a magnitude 9 earthquake if they're going to survive.

    Nah, they just need a new marketing slogan. "WAKE UP" is the new "AMATEUR HOUR IS OVER."
  • Reply 16 of 24


    So, if you don't rate, just overcompensate.


    At least you know you can always go on Ricki Lake.


    The world needs wannabes.

  • Reply 17 of 24
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    kent909 wrote: »
    I miss the "good ole days" when these guys would get a big bonus instead.

    Well said..... :lol:
  • Reply 18 of 24
    macbook promacbook pro Posts: 1,605member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by BigBillyGoatGruff View Post


    So, if you don't rate, just overcompensate.


    At least you know you can always go on Ricki Lake.


    The world needs wannabes.



     


    So don't deflate, play it straight

    You know he really doesn't get it anyway


    ...


    Hey, hey, do the trendy thing!


     


     


    Oh, wait... that should be for Samsung.

  • Reply 19 of 24
    shunnabunichshunnabunich Posts: 160member


    I don't think it counts as a "shakeup" unless something changes.

  • Reply 20 of 24
    suddenly newtonsuddenly newton Posts: 13,819member


    I can't wait to get "Service 1" and "Service 2" image


     


    rim-120501.jpg

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