Eric Schmidt announced, via his blog, that he is stepping down as CEO of Google. Larry Page will be taking over the day-to-day business as Google’s new CEO and Schmidt will transition to executive chairman. Schmidt declared that he will now be able to focus on external duties such as partnerships, deals, and outreach.
Telstra CEO David Thodey announced the appointment of two new executives. Brendon Riley has been appointed COO, replacing Michael Rocca. Riley joins Telstra from IBM Corp., where he was one of their most senior executives. Michael Rocca, the current COO, has confirmed his intention to leave the company on Feb. 28, following a 43-year career at Telstra. Paul Fegan has been appointed Group Managing Director of Strategy & Corporate Services. Strategy & Corporate Services is a new unit which will bring together strategic and key corporate functions. Fegan joins Telstra from St. George Bank, where he was CEO and managing director.
Verve Wireless, mobile advertising platform for local media, announced that Tom MacIsaac has been appointed CEO. Tom has more than a decade of experience in digital media and advertising companies. Most recently Tom was CEO of ExtendMedia and has served as CEO of Lightningcast.
4G chipmaker Sequans announced that James Patterson, former Sprint senior executive, and Alok Sharma, former CEO of Telsima, have joined its board of directors. James Patterson is currently the CEO of Mobile Symmetry and has previously served as president at Wholesale Services and VP of Cable Solutions. Alok Sharma is currently an independent consultant and was previously senior vice president of Corporate Development and Alliances at Aviat Networks and vice president and general manager of the Worldwide Cable Business at Juniper Networks.
Brightpoint, Inc. (Nasdaq:CELL), provider of supply chain solutions for the wireless industry, announced that Steven E. Fivel has resigned his position, as general counsel and secretary. Fivel plans to exit Brightpoint on March 1 to return to Simon Property Group. Craig M. Carpenter, who has worked as an attorney in Brightpoint’s legal department for more than 10 years, will take over Fivel’s position.
Telcordia announced that the Pacific Telecommunications Council India Foundation (PTCIF) has elected P.K. Nag as vice president and a member of the Board of Trustees. PTCIF is a non-profit organization dedicated to growth of the telecommunications industry in the South Asia region. Nag is VP of Business Development at Telcordia, India. He has worked in the industry for 30 years and has held various positions within India’s Ministry of Communications.
