RIM head of global sales leaves after 14 years on the job

Another top RIM executive is leaving the company, potentially indicating troubled times ahead for the ailing smartphone maker. The latest casualty is Patrick Spense, a self-proclaimed “BlackBerry Believer” who headed up RIM’s global sales division, and has been with the company for the last 14 years. The move comes as RIM is hoping to rebuild itself as a prominent player in the smartphone market with BlackBerry 10.

RIM issued the following statement to The Wall Street Journal on the Spense news:

“I can confirm that Patrick Spence, Head of Global Sales for Research In Motion, has resigned following 14 years of service. Patrick will be taking on a leadership position in a different industry. The sales function will report directly into Kristian Tear, our newly appointed COO when he starts this summer. In the interim, the sales function will report to [CEO] Thorsten Heins.”

The departure follows recent new executives joining the company. Just three weeks ago, RIM announced the hiring of a new Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer, roles filled by Frank Boulben (former EVP at LightSquared) and Kristian Tear (former EVP at Sony), respectively. We don’t know whether Spence’s departure is related to the hiring of these two executives, though as The Next Web reports, you never want to lose a top brand champion of your company.

[via The Next Web]