Dorman elected as new Moto chairman: Former AT&T exec to replace Zander

Dave Dorman, a former AT&T chief executive and currently on Motorola Inc.’s board of directors, has gotten the nod to become the board’s next chairman. Dorman has served on the board since 2006.
Dorman assumes his new position May 5, when current chairman, Ed Zander – who relinquished his CEO post Jan. 1 – retires from the board.
Dorman’s new role comes at a time when Motorola has a lot on its plate.
As the company’s CEO, Greg Brown, noted in a prepared statement, the company named Dorman as it seeks to divide itself into two publicly traded companies – one for its ailing device business, the other for its infrastructure, government and home broadband businesses. How that will be accomplished – plus the search for new devices CEO – is bound to fill Dorman’s schedule.
Plus, Motorola just forged an agreement with activist investor Carl Icahn to place one of his allies on its board immediately, and to recommend the election of a second Icahn ally on May 5 at the company’s annual shareholder meeting. The company agreed also to consult with Icahn on the selection of a CEO to lead its mobile devices company.
Motorola’s stock was down slightly today, dropping less than 1% to hover at $9.41, just above its 52-week low – though the stock did not appear to reflect Wall Street’s judgment on Dorman’s selection.
Dorman, 54, is a 28-year veteran of the telecommunications industry, according to Motorola’s prepared statement. He is currently a managing director at Warburg Pincus and Co. He joined AT&T as president in December 2000 and served as chairman and CEO from 2002 until November 2005. Prior to that stint, Dorman served as CEO of Concert, a global venture launched by AT&T and British Telecommunications from 1999 to 2000. He also served as chairman, president and CEO of Pacific Bell from 1994 until its acquisition by SBC Communications in 1997, when he served as an executive vice president until January 2008.