Friday August 7, 4:39 pm Eastern Time
Motorola hires Ericsson U.S. CEO to run sector
By Brad Dorfman
CHICAGO, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Motorola Inc. (MOT - news) made a rare foray outside its own ranks to fill a key position Friday, naming an executive from a competitor to head its Network Solutions Sector.
The company said it hired Bo Hedfors as a corporate vice president and president of Motorola's Network Solutions Sector. Hedfors had been president and chief executive officer of Swedish telecom equipment company Ericsson's (LMEb.ST) U.S. division.
Hedfors apparently is the first outsider tapped to head a sector since that designation was instituted in the late 1980s, a company spokesman said. Under Motorola's new structure, a sector reports to an officer one step below the chief executive officer.
When he officially starts Sept. 8, Hedfors will head up a sector, created by a realignment at Schaumburg, Ill.-based Motorola, that oversees cellular communications networks and iDEN digital wireless communications technology.
Motorola has had setbacks in its cellular infrastructure this year, including the very public loss of business from PrimeCo Personal Communications LP, a U.S. wireless operator. Problems with equipment and software caused dropped calls and other problems for PrimeCo, an executive familiar with the situation said at the time.
''We see this as one step in our already announced plans of improving our network components capabilities,'' said Merle Gilmore, head of Motorola's Communications Enterprise, in a teleconference with reporters Friday.
One analyst said hiring from a competitor for such a high level job was a positive cultural change for Motorola.
''He was so high positioned in the Ericsson organization, I think it's a great move for the company,'' Mona Eraiba, analyst at Gruntal & Co., said.
Hedfors had been with Ericsson since 1968 and has a background in developing telecommunications switches. He had also served as chief technical officer at Ericsson.
The decision to move to Motorola was based on his and his wife's desire to stay in the United States, Hedfors said.
In a separate statement, Ericsson said it named Bo Dimert, formerly a vice president and general manager, to replace Hedfors.
Motorola shares were up $1 at $53.50 Friday.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
