BlackBerry announced that its current CEO, John Chen, will retire on November 11 and will be succeeded by board member Richard Lynch as the new CEO.
BlackBerry said that this personnel change was determined after the implementation of Project Imperium and the separation of its Internet of Things and cybersecurity departments. Chen Shouzong's position will be taken over by board member Richard Lynch, who will also become chairman of the board.
Chen Shouzong has served as BlackBerry's CEO since 2013 and oversaw the company's transition from a focus on mobile phones to IoT applications, and its subsequent decision to discontinue the mobile phone business. Richard Lynch also joined BlackBerry's board of directors in 2013, having previously served as Chief Technology Officer at Verizon Communications and Verizon Wireless.
