New BlackBerry CEO John Chen went on a firing spree on Monday, removing several senior executives including COO Kristian Tear and CMO Frank Boulben, as well as replacing the company's CFO, Brian Bidulka.
Adam Emery, VP of North American communications at BlackBerry, told PRWeek on Monday that the company's PR department has not been affected by the latest C-suite changes. He also confirmed that BlackBerry's global agency partners, APCO Worldwide and Text 100, are continuing to work on its PR account. The firms won the business in April.
Emery declined to elaborate on the CEO's decision, or the company's plans.
James Yersh, BlackBerry's controller and head of compliance, will succeed Bidulka, who will remain with the company as an adviser for the rest of its fiscal year. Director Roger Martin has also said he will resign from the smartphone maker.
Earlier this month, BlackBerry passed on a buyout offer from Fairfax Financial Holdings, and then-CEO Thorsten Heins resigned. Fairfax and an unnamed group are making a $1 billion investment in the company in the hope of turning around its fortunes.