WATERLOO – Wireless industry veterans Kristian Tear and Frank Boulben are joining Research In Motion as its new chief operating officer and chief marketing officer, respectively.
Tear joins RIM from Sony Mobile Communications where he was executive vice president. He previously held a variety of operational leadership positions with Ericsson in Europe, Asia and Latin America. At RIM, Tear will oversee all operational functions for handhelds and services, including research and development, products, global sales, manufacturing and supply chain.
Boulben is the former executive vice president of strategy, marketing and sales for LightSquared. He joined LightSquared after serving as global director of commercial strategy for Vodafone Group and EVP of brand and consumer marketing for Orange Group. He will oversee global marketing efforts at RIM.
"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 president and CEO Thorsten Heins, in Tuesday’s announcement. "Most importantly, both Kristian and Frank possess a keen understanding of the emerging trends in mobile communications and computing."
