HTC Corp (宏達電) chief financial officer Chang Chia-lin (張嘉臨) is adding global sales to his responsibilities as the Taiwanese smartphone maker seeks to halt two years of declining revenues.
Chang has taken over the sales post, previously held by Jason Mackenzie, HTC said in an e-mailed response to Bloomberg News yesterday.
Chang will remain chief financial officer “until the time a transition of responsibilities makes sense,” the company said.
HTC’s sales have missed analysts’ estimates for nine straight quarters amid manufacturing delays, quality-control problems and stiffer competition from Chinese makers such as Huawei Technologies Co (華為).
Reshuffles and resignations have seen at least six senior executives depart in the past three years, while Mackenzie’s role has been reduced after previously heading both marketing and sales.
Chang was appointed chief financial officer in April last year after previously working as a Goldman Sachs Group Inc managing director in Taiwan, a role that included advising chairwoman Cher Wang (王雪紅) and HTC.
Since his appointment, Chang has cut research and development spending, reversed previous acquisitions and helped reorganize HTC’s China operations.
The moves have failed to halt a slide in the HTC share price. The stock has slumped 52 percent this year after falling 40 percent last year and sliding 42 percent in 2011.
Ben Ho (何永生) took over marketing in January this year, with Chang’s appointment to head sales this month leaving Mackenzie back in the position of North America chief.
Mackenzie was promoted to the new role of head of global sales and marketing in July 2011, adding to his role as head of North America. He handed the North America role to Mike Woodward, a former AT&T Inc executive, in July last year, before taking it back in July this year when Woodward took a new post as head of emerging devices.
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