BlackBerry Names Former Cisco Executive Bryan Palma as COO

(Bloomberg) -- BlackBerry Ltd. said Bryan Palma would take over as the company’s president and chief operating officer, reporting to chief executive officer and chairman John Chen.

Palma would be responsible for the BlackBerry’s core product and services, including its Internet of Things business that incorporates connecting devices such as cars and smart speakers, the company said in a statement Monday.

Palma previously held the role of general manager of customer experience for the Americas at Cisco Systems Inc.

"Bryan is an excellent addition to our team given his proven experience delivering growth for strategic industry providers," Chen said in the statement, adding that Palma would also play a key role in integrating Cylance Inc., the cybersecurity company BlackBerry acquire late last year.

In December, BlackBerry reported quarterly sales that beat analysts’ forecasts, extending a run of positive surprises on that metric to six quarters and signaling its reinvention as a software company is taking hold.

(Updates with context throughout.)

--With assistance from Yueqi Yang.

To contact the reporter on this story: Nate Lanxon in London at nlanxon@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Giles Turner at gturner35@bloomberg.net

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