WATERLOO – Former Cisco exec and U.S. Secret Service agent Bryan Palma has been named as president and Chief Operating Officer of BlackBerry Inc., effective immediately.
Before joining BlackBerry, Palma was the SVP and GM of Cisco's customer experience for the Americas where his team helped customers design, build, and operate a global portfolio of network, security, collaboration, IoT, data center, and cloud services. He was also VP of cyber and security solutions at Boeing, VP of service delivery operations at Hewlett Packard, and PepsiCo’s first Chief Information Security Officer. Before joining the private sector, Palma was a special agent with the U.S. Secret Service where he helped pioneer efforts to combat cybercrime.
In his new role, Palma (pictured) is responsible for BlackBerry Technology Solutions, Enterprise Software and Services, and Mobility Solutions operating units. Intellectual property and licensing will continue to operate separately, as will Cylance once the acquisition is complete, continues Monday’s announcement.
"Bryan is an excellent addition to our team given his proven experience delivering growth for strategic industry providers”, said executive chairman and CEO John Chen. “This key addition to the BlackBerry team will best serve the company's focus on EoT, integrating Cylance, and expanding our licensing business."
"I couldn't be more excited to join BlackBerry at this pivotal time in the industry," added Palma. "As the world becomes exponentially more connected, enterprises and governments around the world need a trusted provider of security and data privacy, and I am confident that provider is BlackBerry. I look forward to working closely with John and the leadership team to deliver the market-leading intelligent security and connectivity solutions organizations need."
