Departing CEO wanted 'the BlackBerry brand to shine again'
BNN Bloomberg
After 10 years with BlackBerry Ltd., John Chen, the CEO and executive chairman, says the company is well positioned for his departure.
Chen said in an interview with BNN Bloomberg Wednesday that while the company’s Internet of Things business has been “doing very well,” it had to work to improve its cyber security business which lagged behind. He said the firm’s cybersecurity products, which focused on protection, were not aligned with the broader market that focused on remediation.
“We had to catch up with that and it took us the last three years to do that,” he said. “We have all caught up and this is one of the reasons why I feel like it's good to pass the baton.”
On Monday, it was announced that Chen would be retiring and leaving the company after a decade at the helm. A press release from the company said Chen’s last day with BlackBerry would be on Nov. 4.
