Blackberry/RIM (Research In Motion) announced that their two former CEO and founders Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie has stepped down and have been replaced by COO (Chief Operating Officer) Thorsten Heins.
Heins has 27 years in the telecommunications industry. Prior to joining RIM in 2007, Thorsten held several positions in the wireless arena including the Chief Technology Officer of Siemens’ Communications Division and several general management positions in Hardware and Software businesses.
Thorsten holds a master’s degree in Science and Physics from the University of Hannover in Germany. Thorsten also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Canadian German Chamber of Industry and Commerce Inc. (RIM)
RIM has suffered tremendously in the last two years and since taking over the reins the markets have shown no real faith in this new change up. One of the major criticisms is that analyst were hoping that the new CEO would have come from outside the company and that that fresh approach would help reshape its current model.
Thorsten Heins, said that he has no interest in selling the company and well be spending the next few months working to improve the direction of RIM. Heins said RIM has scaled up rapidly, adding more than 20 million global subscribers in the past year, amid speculations of subscribers faltering due to operation problems and blackouts which literally crippled the company in the market. Analyst are hopeful for RIM’s future as they transfer their products onto the QNX operating software and with the release of the Playbook 2.0 (out in February) and the new Blackberry 10 (end of the year) software platform for mobile devices. The new CEO may also be toying with the idea to sell their products and software to the car manufacturing industry as RIM owns many patents. However other critics are saying the customers are not enthused about waiting for the changes at RIM. Whatever the outlook for the company this change may spell a new era for Research In Motion and Blackberry and my be the very change needed to place them on top of the market or bury them for good.
About Author: Khamal Murray is a major in Bioethics & Heath Studies at the University of Toronto and a blogger/writer with http://thejuxtapositionape.blog.com and a special contributor with Alternavox Magazine
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