Research In Motion Limited (RIM) announced a global workforce reduction across all functions by approximately 2,000 employees. Following the completion of the workforce reduction, RIM’s global workforce is expected to be approximately 17,000 people. The company said it is reallocating resources to focus on areas that offer the highest growth opportunities.
The company also announced several management changes. Thorsten Heins is taking on the expanded role of COO, Product and Sales. All product engineering functions, including both hardware and software teams, are being consolidated under Thorsten’s direction. Patrick Spence is taking on the role of Managing Director, Global Sales and Regional Marketing. Robin Bienfait is maintaining her responsibilities as CIO, including BlackBerry Operations, Customer Service and Corporate IT functions, and also taking on responsibility for the Enterprise Business Unit focused on delivering outstanding customer service and extending RIM’s leadership in the enterprise sector. David Yach, in his role as CTO, Software, will focus on current and future software platforms, as well as the surrounding developer and application ecosystem. Jim Rowan is taking on the expanded role of COO, Operations and will continue to be responsible for manufacturing, global supply chain and repair services. Ahttp://www.rim.com
