BlackBerry CEO John Chen’s makeover of the company’s executive team took another step forward today with the announcement that Eric Johnson has been hired as President, Global Sales.
“I am pleased to round out BlackBerry’s new executive leadership team with another outstanding addition today. I have worked with Eric extensively and have tremendous respect for his sales expertise and customer centric approach to business. Our carriers, partners, distributors and enterprise customers will benefit greatly from Eric’s approach,” said Chen. “The experience that the majority of the new leadership team has in working together previously will drive change within the organization at a faster pace. I look forward to demonstrating these changes to the market.”
Eric Johnson previously held a number of roles at both SAP and Sybase. He has worked with Chen before.
John Chen, who just dropped the ‘interim’ label from his CEO title, has reshaped the BlackBerry executive team with a number of hires in a bid to turn the company’s fortunes around. Other recent appointments include Ron Louks as President, Devices and Emerging Solutions, James S. Mackey as Executive Vice President for Corporate Development and Strategic Planning and Mark Wilson as Senior Vice President of Marketing.
BLACKBERRY APPOINTS LEADER FOR GLOBAL SALES
Waterloo, ON – BlackBerry® Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY; TSX:BB), a world leader in mobile communications, today announced that Eric Johnson will join the Company as President, Global Sales reporting to BlackBerry’s Executive Chair and CEO, John Chen.
“I am pleased to round out BlackBerry’s new executive leadership team with another outstanding addition today. I have worked with Eric extensively and have tremendous respect for his sales expertise and customer centric approach to business. Our carriers, partners, distributors and enterprise customers will benefit greatly from Eric’s approach,” said Chen. “The experience that the majority of the new leadership team has in working together previously will drive change within the organization at a faster pace. I look forward to demonstrating these changes to the market.”
Eric Johnson most recently served as Senior Vice President and General Manager for SAP’s Global Database and Technology. Prior to that, Eric was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Platform and Analytics Sales for North America, also at SAP. In the years preceding, Eric served in several capacities at Sybase, including Senior Vice President and General Manager for North America, Senior Vice President and General Manager Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Senior Vice President and General Manager for Financial Services, where he managed both direct and indirect sales including field sales, professional services and customer services. Eric holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
About BlackBerry
A global leader in mobile communications, BlackBerry® revolutionized the mobile industry when it was introduced in 1999. Today, BlackBerry aims to inspire the success of our millions of customers around the world by continuously pushing the boundaries of mobile experiences. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Company trades under the ticker symbols “BB” on the Toronto Stock Exchange and “BBRY” on the NASDAQ. For more information, visit www.blackberry.com.
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