RIM Shakeup: Too Little, Too Late?

Blackberry executive shuffle | BCBusiness
Over the weekend, Blackberry maker Research In Motion appointed Thorsten Heins as its new president and CEO.

Investors balked and shares slid Monday despite RIM’s executive shuffle. Is new leadership really enough to help the company bounce back?

While it’s no surprise to anyone closely following the flailing company, things aren’t looking so great for Research In Motion.
 
Over the weekend, the Waterloo, Ont.-based company’s co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Baisillie stepped down after a terrible year when shares slid 75 per cent. On Sunday, the Blackberry maker appointed chief operating officer Thorsten Heins as the new CEO.
 
Heins made his first conference call as CEO Monday morning, seemingly optimistic about RIM’s chances of bouncing back with an emphasis on a change in marketing strategy and boosting consumer engagement.
 
However, investors didn’t take such an optimistic view. Shares slid Monday despite the change in leadership and talk of the company’s reinvigoration.
 
The lack of investor confidence forces us to ask the question – is it too little, too late?
 
RIM can revamp its marketing strategy and amp up its consumer engagement, but it doesn’t address the lack of innovation, the significant loss of market share and botched product launches (see shipment delays of new phones using the QNX system).
 
The company has worrisome issues at its core, requiring vision and out-of-the-box creativity to find viable solutions. Here’s hoping Heins is the strong leader who can take RIM off life support.