Struggling Canadian telecommunications company Research In Motion is putting a lot of stock in its new chief marketing officer, Frank Boulben, as it gets ready to unveil its latest BlackBerry operating system and regain market share from Apple's iPhone.
RIM Chief Executive Thorsten Heins described Boulben's role as critical to the company's success. Boulben, 45, who previously held senior positions at wireless carriers LightSquared, Vodafone and Orange, has a big task ahead of him, indeed.
RIM has struggled with dwindling market share in the North American smartphone market as well as a slowdown in global BlackBerry sales, according to The Wall Street Journal. The company's most recent ad campaign, "Be Bold," has failed to boost sales in the U.S. and Canada, while RIM's share price fell to a nearly nine-year low last week.
In his new position, Boulben will oversee all global marketing efforts, according to a company press release. RIM declined to answer any additional questions about his appointment.
The company's CMO position has been left vacant since March of last year following the departure of Keith Pardy, who moved on for "personal reasons" just weeks before RIM unveiled its Playbook tablet device.
Former co-CEO Jim Balsillie had taken on the top marketing responsibility before stepping down and leaving the company earlier this year.
To help turn around the business, RIM has also hired former Sony Mobile Communications Executive Vice President Kristian Tear, 48, to fill the position of chief operating officer.
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Lowe's New Exec Roles (Retailing Today)
Lowe's is making several executive appointments and promotions to lead its new customer experience and operations divisions in the wake of last month's appointments of Gregory Bridgeford as chief customer officer and Rick Damron as chief operating officer.
Aramark's New CEO (FINS via WSJ)
Former PepsiCo executive, Eric Foss, is joining the Philadelphia-based food-services company Aramark Corp. as its new chief executive. Foss, 53, replaces Joseph Neubauer, who had been Aramark's CEO since 1983.
Expanded Beer Territory (Business Wire)
Mark Hunter, chief executive of Molson Coors Brewing Company's U.K. & Ireland business, is taking over as CEO of the recently acquired StarBev unit, adding nine Central European countries under his command.
Penney's CFO Comp (Footnoted)
J.C. Penney's new chief financial officer, Kenneth Hannah, is getting a $2 million signing bonus and is poised to become a "$6.03 million-dollar-man, just for taking the job, meeting the goals set for him, and hanging around for a few years," according to Morningstar's Footnoted blog.
Marketing Buzz
Omnicom Media Group Hiring (FINS)
Omnicom Media Group's full-service global agencies, OMD Worldwide and PHD Worldwide, are on a constant search for new media buyers and media planners. The company's managing director of human resources, Leroy Whitaker, spoke to FINS about what he looks for in candidates.
DIGO's New Brand Man (Adweek)
New York-based full-service ad agency DIGO Brands has hired Myles Kellam, former chief strategy officer at New York agency Conversation, to fill a newly created position: director of brand solutions. The focus of the new role is to drive growth for marketers that work with DIGO.
Kraft's Top Marketing Players (Ad Age)
Ad Age gives a rundown of the leading Kraft marketers after the consumer-goods giant splits into two companies, Mondelez International and Kraft Foods Group, later this year.
Buzz Around the Office
The popular song is reimagined by Harvard's baseball team.
List of the Day: Quickly Landing the Job
In case you've been stressing what to wear and how your resume looks, don't forget the subtleties that help with every job pursuit.
1. Get recommended by somebody on the inside.
2. Show up ready to talk to several people.
3. Show why you're an excellent match for the position and the company.
(Source: Glassdoor.com)
