BlackBerry announced the appointment of Bryan Palma as its new President and Chief Operating Officer.
Palma would be responsible for the BlackBerry’s core product and services, including its Internet of Things business that incorporates connecting devices such as cars and smart speakers, the company said in a statement Monday. He will oversee teams handling BlackBerry Technology Solutions, Enterprise Software and Services, and Mobility Solutions, and will be responsible for the company’s core product and services.
Palma will report to BlackBerry’s Executive Chairman and CEO John Chen.
“Bryan is an excellent addition to our team given his proven experience delivering growth for strategic industry providers,” Chen said in the statement, adding that Palma would also play a key role in integrating Cylance Inc., the cybersecurity company BlackBerry acquire late last year.
Prior to joining Cisco, Palma was the Vice President of Cyber and Security Solutions at Boeing. He was most recently Cisco’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of Customer Experience for North and South America. Even before working at Boeing, Palma was the Managing Partner of Ponic LLC. He has also served as the Manager of Service Operations at AT&T, a Special Agent with the Secret Service in Bill Clinton’s administration, the Chief Information Security Officer of PepsiCo and as the Vice President of Security Services at Electronic Data Systems.
Palma completed his B.A. in English & Speech Communication from the University of Richmond, M.Ed. in Counseling & Personnel Services from the University of Maryland College Park and M.B.A from the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University.
In December, BlackBerry reported quarterly sales that beat analysts’ forecasts, which is indicative of its reinvention as a software company.
