John S. Chen, BlackBerry’s new chief executive officer and chairman of the board, issued a statement today about the company’s direction.
According to Chen, the company is committed to regaining its former stature in the mobile industry. “We have begun moving the company to embrace a multi-platform, BYOD world by adopting a new mobility management platform and a new device strategy. We are also leveraging our tremendous assets, including BBM, our network and QNX. While we are proud of these accomplishments, we know there is more work to be done. I know that it’s going to take time, discipline and tough decisions to reclaim BlackBerry’s success and we are ready for that challenge.”
Chen went on to say that the company remains committed to its customers and won’t desert them. “We also want our customers to know that BlackBerry has significant financial strength for the long-haul,” said Chen. “I believe in the value of this brand. With the right team and right strategy in place, I am confident that we will rebuild BlackBerry for the benefit of all of our constituencies.” Chen was installed as BlackBerry CEO just last week after the company decided to remain an independent firm, rather than allow itself to be acquired.
It accepted $1 billion in capital from Fairfax Financial Holdings, and ousted Thorsten Heins, who served as CEO from January 2012 to November 2012. Chen is officially an interim CEO while the company looks for a permanent replacement for Heins. Sales of BlackBerry smartphones have dwindled to a very small percentage of the market over the course of the last year, despite the launch of new hardware such as the Z10 and Q10.
