SonyEricsson U.S. Head Resigns

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 3/23/2009

London — Najmi Jarwala, president of SonyEricsson USA, will leave the company at the end of March “to pursuer other career opportunities,” the company announced.

The company has not announced a successor to Jarwala, who is also head of Sony Ericsson’s North America region, but in the interim, Anders Runevad, SonyEricsson executive VP and head of global sales and marketing, will fill both of Jarwala’s roles.

SonyEricsson president Dick Komiyama lauded Jarwala’s three-year tenure, saying, "Under Najmi's leadership, we have redefined our North American strategy, built operational excellence and strengthened our total presence considerably in this very important market.”

Worldwide, Sony Ericsson recently announced that its first-quarter net sales and net income before taxes “continue to be negatively affected by weak consumer demand as well as de-stocking in the retail and distribution channels. “

The company said it expected its first-quarter gross margin to decline year on year and sequentially and that it would post a net loss before taxes of about 340 million to 390 million euros, excluding restructuring charges of about 10 million to 20 million euros. The company will announce first-quarter results on April 17.

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications is a 50/50 joint venture established October 2001 between Sony and Ericsson.