Meet Thorsten Heins, RIM President and CEO

BlackBerry — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 04:16:42 +0000

Team BlackBerry, we wanted you to be among the first to meet and greet new Research In Motion President and CEO, Thorsten Heins. Prior to today’s announcement, Mr. Heins was one of RIM’s two Chief Operating Officers and, before that, Senior Vice President for the Handheld Business Unit. He played key roles in the creation of RIM’s product portfolio.

First the official word on Thorsten’s background: Mr. Heins came to RIM in December 2007 from the industrial conglomerate Siemens AG. He joined Siemens in 1984 after graduating from the University of Hannover in his native Germany. At Siemens, Mr. Heins rose through the ranks of R&D customer service, sales and product management positions. After serving as Chief Executive Officer of various business divisions in the communication business, Mr. Heins moved to Chief Technology Officer and member of the Group Board of the Siemens Communications Group. He came to RIM after being impressed by the level of innovation displayed by founders Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie.

Now we’d like you to hear from Thorsten himself.

On RIM’s Strengths…

[YouTube link for mobile viewing]

On the next 5 years…

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On growth and enthusiasm…

[YouTube link for mobile viewing]

On PlayBook 2.0…

[YouTube link for mobile viewing]

On the best people…

[YouTube link for mobile viewing]

On motivation…

[YouTube link for mobile viewing]

On his proudest moment…

[YouTube link for mobile viewing]

Team BlackBerry: Do you have a question or comment for Thorsten or the BlackBerry team? Add a comment below. While it’s not possible to respond to all, we do promise to read each and every one.

Research In Motion Names Thorsten Heins President and CEO

BlackBerry — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:05:54 +0000

The Board of Directors of BlackBerry® maker Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced that acting on the recommendation of its Co-Chief Executive Officers to implement the succession plan they previously submitted to the Board, it has unanimously named Thorsten Heins as President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Heins was also appointed to RIM’s Board. The Board acted after conducting its own due diligence. Both appointments are effective immediately.

Mike Lazaridis, former Co-Chair and Co-CEO, becomes Vice Chair of RIM’s Board and Chair of Board’s New Innovation Committee. Jim Balsillie, former Co-CEO, remains a member of the Board. RIM Board Member Barbara Stymiest has been named the independent Board Chair. Prem Watsa, CEO of Fairfax Financial Holdings, has also been named to the Board. For more information, please see the official RIM press release.

A conference call and live webcast will be held beginning at 8 am ET, January 23, 2012, which can be accessed by dialing 1-800-814-4859 (North America), (+1) 416-644-3414 (outside North America) or through your personal computer or BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet at www.rim.com/investors/events/index.shtml.

Inside BlackBerry » Mike Lazaridis

Meet Thorsten Heins, RIM President and CEO

Research In Motion Names Thorsten Heins President and CEO