Only about 16 months after joining Research in Motion to help bring life back into the Blackberry company, chief marketing officer Keith Pardy has reportedly put in notice that he plans to leave.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Pardy has tendered his resignation at RIM, but will stay with the company for six months to ensure a smooth transition.
Pardy will reportedly leave for “personal reasons” and it’s unknown where he’ll move on from here, but it is sure that his time with the company has been brief. He was brought on in December of 2009. Back then, RIM was just beginning to face the reality that Android and the iPhone posed a serious threat to the status quo of the mobile industry.
The status quo is what RIM relied on for years. As the de facto enterprise phone provider, it has been happy to sit on its laurels for a long time. However, businesses around the country are starting to shift to iPhones and Android phones. RIM has lost double-digit market share over the last 12 months.
Certainly whatever Pardy was brought on to do, he didn’t do well enough. ‘Blackberry’ is becoming an antiquated word these days.
RIM is poised to launch the Playbook, it’s answer to Apple’s iPad, within the coming months. This is incredibly important for the company. It’s a last ditch effort to regain some relevance in this industry.
The Playbook will launch on Sprint first, with other mobile carriers to follow. Its focus is on 4G connectivity.
