Enterprise smartphone vendor BlackBerry has hired John Sims, formerly the head of SAP’s mobile services operations, as its enterprise services chief.
Sims is a former colleague of chairman/interim CEO John Chen, who joined SAP via its acquisition of Sybase. His’ hiring comes as several execs depart as part of an apparent housecleaning effort launched by Chen, who has suggested BlackBerry will be an enterprise-focused company going forward.
John Sims joins BlackBerry in January from SAP, where he served as president of SAP’s Mobile Services business.
John has more than 20 years of experience with companies that supply mobile telecommunications products and services to wireless operators.
Before joining SAP, John held leadership positions at 724 Solutions, TANTAU Software, Intrado and Tandem Computers.
Though holding up somewhat better than its hardware sales, BlackBerry’s services revenue has been pressured this year by subscriber losses and a decision to offer basic (consumer-oriented) services for little or no cost to BB10 users.
Recently, media reported that three high-ranked employees of BlackBerry are leaving the struggling company.
Rick Costanzo, executive vice-president of global sales, and Chris Wormald, vice-president of strategic alliances, will leave their roles as BlackBerry chairman and interim CEO makes sweeping changes to the company’s executive team. A third executive, Mark Cameron, has left the company to work at public relations firm Hill and Knowlton. He joined BlackBerry in 2011 as the company’s director of global public policy.
BlackBerry is currently in the process of laying off more than 4,000 employees, or roughly 40 percent of its already diminished workforce.
