{"id":26552,"date":"2012-01-24T08:19:48","date_gmt":"2012-01-24T00:19:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techielobang.com\/blog\/?p=26552"},"modified":"2012-01-24T08:19:48","modified_gmt":"2012-01-24T00:19:48","slug":"mike-lazaridis-is-out-as-rim-names-thorsten-heins-as-new-ceo-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techielobang.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/24\/mike-lazaridis-is-out-as-rim-names-thorsten-heins-as-new-ceo-video\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Lazaridis is Out as RIM names Thorsten Heins as New CEO (Video)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Surprise to see a Press Release announcing the change of leadership at RIM. Mr. Thorsten Heins has been named the new CEO while Mike Lazaridis is named Vice Chair of the Board. There are other Management changes too.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/techielobang.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/rim-ceo-thorsten-heins.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"26553\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/techielobang.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/24\/mike-lazaridis-is-out-as-rim-names-thorsten-heins-as-new-ceo-video\/rim-ceo-thorsten-heins\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/techielobang.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/rim-ceo-thorsten-heins.jpg?fit=323%2C465&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"323,465\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"rim-ceo-thorsten-heins\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/techielobang.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/rim-ceo-thorsten-heins.jpg?fit=208%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/techielobang.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/rim-ceo-thorsten-heins.jpg?fit=323%2C465&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-26553\" title=\"rim-ceo-thorsten-heins\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/techielobang.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/rim-ceo-thorsten-heins.jpg?resize=323%2C465\" alt=\"\" width=\"323\" height=\"465\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/techielobang.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/rim-ceo-thorsten-heins.jpg?w=323&amp;ssl=1 323w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/techielobang.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/rim-ceo-thorsten-heins.jpg?resize=208%2C300&amp;ssl=1 208w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 323px) 100vw, 323px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--more-->RIM recent results has not been going well with Investors. If you follow the Tech news, the consumers are Luke-warmed to the new products and <a href=\"http:\/\/techielobang.com\/blog\/2011\/10\/13\/rim-founder-mike-lazaridis-apologizes-for-blackberry-outage-video\/\" target=\"_blank\">outage on BlackBerry services<\/a> are seriously not helping at all.<\/p>\n<p>Now, with the new CEO, Thorsten Heins, we sure hope that things will change (for the better). Here is a short message from Thorsten Heins.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QUFwhpcrCTw\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"600\" height=\"335\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Forgive me, seems that he has a lot of frustration based on the video. What do you think? I am really looking forward to PlayBook 2.0.<\/p>\n<h1><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.blackberry.com\/2012\/01\/meet-thorsten-heins-rim-president-and-ceo\/\" target=\"_blank\">Click Here to Read and View More Videos from BlackBerry Blog<\/a><\/h1>\n<div id=\"pressrelease-link-26552\" class=\"sh-link pressrelease-link sh-hide\"><a href=\"#\" onclick=\"showhide_toggle('pressrelease', 26552, 'Show Press Release (1,601 More Words)', 'Hide Press Release (1,601 Less Words)'); return false;\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><span id=\"pressrelease-toggle-26552\">Show Press Release (1,601 More Words)<\/span><\/a><\/div><div id=\"pressrelease-content-26552\" class=\"sh-content pressrelease-content sh-hide\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Research In Motion Names Thorsten Heins President and CEO<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: center;\">Board Acts on Recommendation of Co-CEOs to Implement Succession Plan<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: center;\">Mike Lazaridis Named Vice Chair of the Board<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: center;\">Jim Balsillie Remains a Director<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: center;\">Barbara Stymiest Named Independent Board Chair<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: center;\">Prem Watsa Named Independent Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<p>Waterloo, ON \u2013 The Board of Directors of BlackBerry\u00ae maker Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced that, acting on the recommendation of its Co-Chief Executive Officers to implement the succession plan they previously submitted to the Board, it has unanimously named Thorsten Heins as President and Chief Executive Officer. \u00a0Mr. Heins was also appointed to RIM\u2019s Board. The Board acted after conducting its own due diligence. Both appointments are effective immediately.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Mike Lazaridis, former Co-Chair and Co-CEO, has become Vice Chair of RIM\u2019s Board and Chair of the Board\u2019s new Innovation Committee. As Vice Chair, he will work closely with Mr. Heins to offer strategic counsel, provide a smooth transition and continue to promote the BlackBerry brand worldwide.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Mr. Heins said he looks forward to continuing to work with Mr. Lazaridis, globally recognized as a technology pioneer. He said, \u201cMike created a whole new way of communicating and I look forward to continuing our close collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>On the transition to CEO by Mr. Heins, Mr. Lazaridis said, \u201cThere comes a time in the growth of every successful company when the founders recognize the need to pass the baton to new leadership. Jim and I went to the Board and told them that we thought that time was now. \u00a0With BlackBerry 7 now out, PlayBook 2.0 shipping in February and BlackBerry 10 expected to ship later this year, the company is entering a new phase, and we felt it was time for a new leader to take it through that phase and beyond. \u00a0Jim, the Board and I all agreed that leader should be Thorsten Heins.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Jim Balsillie remains a member of the Board. \u201cI agree this is the right time to pass the baton to new leadership, and I have complete confidence in Thorsten, the management team and the company,\u201d he said. \u201cI remain a significant shareholder and a Director and, of course, they will have my full support.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Mr. Lazaridis said that he decided to move from Co-Chair to Vice Chair of the Board in order to return the public\u2019s focus to what is most important: \u201cthe great company we have built, its iconic products, global brand and its talented employees.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Mr. Lazaridis added, \u201cThorsten has demonstrated throughout his tenure at RIM that he has the right mix of leadership, relevant industry experience and skills to take the company forward. \u00a0We have been impressed with his operational skills at both RIM and Siemens. \u00a0I am so confident in RIM\u2019s future that I intend to purchase an additional $50 million of the company\u2019s shares, as permitted, in the open market.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Mr. Heins said he believes that RIM has tremendous potential. \u00a0He joined RIM from Siemens Communications Group in December 2007 as Senior Vice President for Hardware Engineering and became Chief Operating Officer for Product and Sales in August 2011.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cMike and Jim took a bold step 18 months ago when RIM purchased QNX to shepherd the transformation of the BlackBerry platform for the next decade,\u201d Mr. Heins said. \u00a0\u201cWe are more confident than ever that was the right path. It is Mike and Jim\u2019s continued unwillingness to sacrifice long-term value for short-term gain which has made RIM the great company that it is today. \u00a0I share that philosophy and am very excited about the company\u2019s future.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Mr. Heins said that RIM has a strong foundation on which to build. \u201cWe have a strong balance sheet with approximately $1.5 billion in cash at the end of the last quarter and negligible debt. \u00a0We reported revenue of $5.2 billion in our last quarter, up 24% from the prior quarter, and a 35% year-to-year increase in the BlackBerry subscriber base, which is now over 75 million.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Mr. Heins said, \u201cBlackBerry 7 has been well received. \u00a0We are very excited about PlayBook 2.0 and BlackBerry 10. \u00a0The reception of our products at this year\u2019s Consumer Electronics Show was encouraging.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>He continued, \u201cRIM earned its reputation by focusing relentlessly on the customer and delivering unique mobile communications solutions. We intend to build on this heritage to expand BlackBerry\u2019s leadership position.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Mr. Heins said that RIM has grown quickly. \u201cAs with any company that has grown as fast as we have, there have been inevitable growing pains,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have learned from those challenges and, I believe, we have and will become a stronger company as a result.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cGoing forward, we will continue to focus both on short-term and long-term growth, strategic planning, a customer- and market-based product approach, and flawless execution. We are in the process of recruiting a new Chief Marketing Officer to work closely with our product and sales teams to deliver the most compelling products and services.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Barbara Stymiest, who formerly served as a member of Royal Bank of Canada\u2019s Group Executive and has been a member of RIM\u2019s Board since 2007, has been named the independent Board Chair. John Richardson, formerly Lead Director, will remain on the Board. \u00a0Prem Watsa, Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Financial Holdings, also was named to the Board, expanding it to 11 members.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Speaking on behalf of the Board, Ms. Stymiest said: \u00a0\u201cWe believe that Thorsten is the right executive to succeed Mike and Jim. \u00a0He has 27 years of telecommunications experience, including four years at RIM in senior management positions. \u00a0As a Board, we have been impressed with his outstanding management skills, his leadership and his accomplishments within the company.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Ms. Stymiest also expressed the Board\u2019s respect and admiration for Messrs. Lazaridis and Balsillie, the company they built, and the steps they have taken to position RIM for the future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cThey created RIM, nurtured it, and in the process not only built an iconic brand, but literally pioneered the smartphone industry,\u201d she said. \u00a0\u201cIt is Canada\u2019s largest tech company and one of the largest in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Conference Call and Webcast<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>A conference call and live webcast will be held beginning at 8 am ET, January 23, 2012, which can be accessed by dialing <a href=\"tel:1-800-814-4859\" target=\"_blank\">1-800-814-4859<\/a> (North America), <a href=\"tel:%28%2B1%29416-644-3414\" target=\"_blank\">(+1)416-644-3414<\/a> (outside North America) or through your personal computer or BlackBerry\u00ae PlayBook\u2122 tablet at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rim.com\/investors\/events\/index.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">www.rim.com\/investors\/events\/<wbr>index.shtml<\/wbr><\/a>. A replay of the conference call will also be available at approximately 10 am ET by dialing <a href=\"tel:%28%2B1%29416-640-1917\" target=\"_blank\">(+1)416-640-1917<\/a> and entering passcode 4509630#. A replay of the webcast will be available on your personal computer or BlackBerry PlayBook tablet by clicking the link above. This replay will be available until midnight ET, February 6, 2012.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u00a0<strong>About Thorsten Heins<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Thorsten Heins, 54, is a respected business leader with 27 years of broad experience and expertise in wireless networks and consumer electronics devices. Mr. Heins has a global reputation for his organizational and leadership skills and his ability to build successful organizations that deliver on their commitments. Prior to today\u2019s announcement, Mr. Heins was one of RIM\u2019s two Chief Operating Officers and, before that, Senior Vice President for the Handheld Business Unit. \u00a0He played key roles in the creation of RIM\u2019s product portfolio. Mr. Heins came to RIM in December 2007 from the industrial conglomerate Siemens AG. \u00a0He joined Siemens in 1984\u00a0\u00a0after graduating from the University of Hannover in his native Germany. \u00a0At Siemens, Mr. Heins rose through the ranks of R&amp;D customer service, sales and product management positions. \u00a0After serving as Chief Executive Officer of various business divisions in the communication business, Mr. Heins moved to Chief Technology Officer and member of the Group Board of the Siemens Communications Group. He came to RIM after being impressed by the level of innovation displayed by founders Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie. Mr. Heins is married with a daughter and a son. Away from RIM, he is usually outdoors bicycling, motorcycling, skiing or hiking.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u00a0<strong>About Barbara Stymiest<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Barbara Stymiest has served as a director of RIM since March 2007. \u00a0She has an HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, and an FCA from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario. \u00a0Ms. Stymiest joined Royal Bank of Canada in 2004, where she served as a member of RBC\u2019s Group Executive, which is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the company. \u00a0Prior to that, she held positions as Chief Executive Officer at TSX Group Inc., Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer at BMO Nesbitt Burns and Partner of Ernst &amp; Young LLP. \u00a0Ms. Stymiest is currently a Director of George Weston Limited, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, the Royal Ontario Museum.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u00a0<strong>About Prem Watsa<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Prem Watsa is the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, a financial services holding company whose corporate objective is to achieve a high rate of return on invested capital and build long-term shareholder value, since 1985. He is also Vice President of Hamblin Watsa Investment Counsel Ltd. since 1985. Mr. Watsa formerly served as Vice President of GW Asset Management from 1983 to 1984 and in various positions, ultimately as a Vice President, with Confederation Life Investment Counsel from 1974 to 1983.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u00a0<strong>About Research In Motion<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry\u00ae solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rim.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.RIM.com<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.blackberry.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.BlackBerry.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n<p>[ad#boxlist]<br \/>\n[ad#img]<br \/>\n(<a href=\"http:\/\/www.engadget.com\/2012\/01\/22\/rim-ceo-quits\/\" target=\"_blank\">source<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Surprise to see a Press Release announcing the change of leadership at RIM. Mr. Thorsten Heins has been named the new CEO while Mike Lazaridis is named Vice..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4,14],"tags":[6359,728,2281,7372,6553,1052,7373],"class_list":["post-26552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-information","category-techie","tag-announcement","tag-blackberry","tag-ceo","tag-management","tag-mike-lazaridis","tag-rim","tag-thorsten-heins"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8YKZ-6Ug","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techielobang.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techielobang.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techielobang.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techielobang.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techielobang.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26552"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/techielobang.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26555,"href":"https:\/\/techielobang.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26552\/revisions\/26555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/techielobang.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techielobang.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techielobang.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}