BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) CEO John Chen, also known as the ‘Turnaround CEO,’ has once again proved his worth and has successfully breathed some life into the company that has been in red for quite some time now. To rescue the Canadian firm, Chen had to come out of retirement, a decision that was questioned by many.
Chen stands by his decision to join BlackBerry
In a recent interview with Emily Chang of Bloomberg Television he talked about a wide range of topics and said, “I’m not crazy” regarding his decision of taking the reign at BlackBerry.
Chen, the technology veteran, is known most for turning around Sybase, and he told that he ‘flunked retirement.’ Chen’s journey at BlackBerry Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) started with the position of Chairman, but he felt that considering his age he would not be able to travel across the world as required. Later Chen decided that to get proper results it is very important that an individual should first himself do the task so as to provide proper guidance. Then, he was named the interim and later the permanent CEO.
Chen is very much conscious of the brand image, and he believes that customer safety, security and satisfaction is the topmost priority for the company. Therefore, he made a statement in July that if in case a Chinese company makes him a takeover offer then he would not be able to accept it as this might not be acceptable to the western government that place huge amount of confidence on company’s devices.
Chen’s rise an inspiring story
Chen’s parents were refugees, and used to live in a one-bedroom apartment in Hong Kong, where Chen stayed with them along with his siblings. Their Financial condition was so low that they did not have a dining table at home and used to stack up suitcases to be used as one. Chen went to a school in his teenage at Massachusetts, where he saw a computer for the first time.
After three decades, now Chen is at the helm of BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) shifting the focus towards providing security software and services. Chen believes that he will be able to generate more value. “Whether it’s going to be good enough to be iconic again, that’s something I need to chew on,” Chen said. “I don’t know the answer to that question.”
