John S. Chen, the man put in charge of BlackBerry after the ouster of former CEO Thorsten Heins, has made his position permanent.
“John said that he would be BlackBerry’s CEO until the company is back on solid financial footing,” said a company spokesperson to the New York Times. “The search for a CEO has been put on the back burner for now.” Chen was initially installed as an interim CEO to manage the ailing smartphone maker until a permanent replacement for Heins could be found. Chen will serve as CEO for at least several years, which is how long it is projected for BlackBerry to get back on its feet.
Since being put in charge, Chen has already rearranged senior staffing, made a manufacturing deal with Foxconn, and renewed the company’s focus on its BBM messaging product.
