On top of everything else that's been going wrong at BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM), Patrick Spence, head of global sales and a 14-year RIM veteran turned in his resignation and his last day with the company will be June 15. He had been promoted to the global sales role last July after serving as managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Widely considered a rising star, Spence will reportedly be taking a position in another industry.
One source told the Globe and Mail newspaper (always a key source for information on the company) that Spence likely stepped down after being passed over for the chief operating officer role recently filled by Kristian Tear. Tear, who spent most of his career at Sony Ericsson, replaces Jim Rowan, who left the company "to pursue other interests" in late March, the same day that former co-CEO Jim Balsillie retired from the board.
Mr. Spence follows a long line of RIM executives who have left the company including the head of software David Yach, who left in March, Alan Brenner, a senior vice president for the BlackBerry platform, and Alistair Mitchell, a vice president for the BlackBerry Messenger product.
Company spokesperson Rebecca Freiburger said the sales team will report to Kristian Tear, RIM's new operating chief when he takes the position this summer, but in the meantime the division will report directly to Chief Executive Officer Thorsten Heins.
Clearly RIM is being buffeted on multiple fronts while it is still trying to get its new BB10 product line out the door by year-end. Losing the head of sales and with Chief Marketing Officer, Frank Boulben (formerly of LightSquared) just coming on board, things aren't getting any easier for RIM.
