[MobileRatty] tag: nottenburg

Moto to cut jobs from R&D unit

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:19:36 +0000

Motorola Inc. is cutting more than 20% of the jobs in its research division and reassigning some of those that remain as the company continues to reorganize this unit.

It will eliminate about 120 of the 600 positions in Motorola Labs, the unit responsible for basic research in everything from cellphones to radio technology, according to a source familiar with the moves made Wednesday.

Another 180 workers are being reassigned to work in individual business units, ranging from cellphones to set-top boxes. The other 300 workers will remain with a much smaller unit to be renamed the Applied Research & Technology Center.

Motorola declined to comment on the specific job cuts, but confirmed the reorganization of the division.

"As part of the company’s strategic review of business operations, Motorola is moving some Motorola Labs project groups into the businesses they support," the company said in a statement. "This direct alignment will help R&D teams work with their business partners to optimize R&D investment and focus on projects that deliver the greatest value for Motorola."

The changes, which take effect July 1, are part of roller-coaster ride in Motorola's technology operations that began last summer when software and engineering were separated.

Chief Technology Officer Padmasree Warrior, once a rising star at the company, left Motorola in December for the same post at Cisco Systems Inc., which competes with Motorola in the set-top box business.

Her successor, Richard Nottenburg, who inherited technology duties along with his role as chief strategy officer, left last month to become CEO of a small telecommunications company near Boston. The duties have since passed to Dan Moloney, who is president of the home and networks unit, one of Motorola's three divisions.

Motorola is in the midst of trying to spin off its money-losing phone business from units that make two-way radios, set-top cable boxes, wireless data networks for businesses and gear to operate cell-phone networks.

Motorola's research division has been seen alternately as the company's greatest strength or one of its weaknesses, squandering money on efforts that too often didn't translate into products that could be sold. Supporters point to Motorola engineers who came up with the hit Razr while exploring how thin they could make a cellphone and get rid of the external antenna.

But Greg Brown, who formerly led Motorola's radio business en route to becoming CEO in January after the company struggled to produce a successful follow-up to the Razr, has repeatedly said one of the company's biggest problems in its cellphone business is that its products were too often "engineering driven." Some Wall Street analysts have criticized Motorola for having too many engineers and not enough products.

source

Dr. Richard Nottenburg to Join Sonus Networks as President and CEO

Thu, 22 May 2008 02:47:00 +0000

Industry Veteran to Drive Next-Generation Communications Leader into its Next Decade

WESTFORD, Mass., /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sonus Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: SONS), a market leader in IP communications infrastructure solutions, today announced that it has appointed Richard N. Nottenburg, PhD as the Company's next President and Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Hassan Ahmed. Nottenburg, former executive vice president chief strategy and technology officer of Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), will join the Company in mid-June, reporting to the Board of Directors.

"Rich is someone I have known for several years and I am very pleased to welcome him to Sonus. The Board and I considered many extraordinary candidates from some of the world's most respected companies as part of our succession planning. Rich is a truly unique leader with strong relationships with many of the world's top operators. He worked closely with senior executives from operators across the globe during his tenure at Motorola," said Hassan Ahmed, chairman, president and CEO, Sonus Networks.
"Rich's strong focus on customers along with his strategic sense and business acumen make him the right leader to profitability grow Sonus into the next decade. I look forward to working with Rich in this next phase of our partnership to advance Sonus' position in the industry."

As executive vice president and chief strategy and technology officer for Motorola, Inc., Nottenburg was responsible for shaping Motorola's overall corporate strategy and technology agenda. During his tenure at Motorola, Nottenburg oversaw acquisitions, divestitures, venture investments, business intelligence and played a major role in new initiatives centered on broadband and Fourth-Generation (4G) wireless, fiber-to-the home and next generation video.

Prior to joining Motorola in 2004, Nottenburg was vice president and general manager of Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation after its merger in 2003 with Multilink Technology Corporation, a publicly traded provider of advanced mixed-signal and VLSI solutions for optical networks. Nottenburg was the co- founder and chief executive officer of Multilink. Nottenburg was also influential at industry leader AT&T Bell Laboratories and is listed as a Lucent pioneer of the 1980s.

Nottenburg earned three degrees in electrical engineering -- a doctorate from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland, a master's degree from Colorado State University and a bachelor's degree from Polytechnic Institute of New York. He serves on the Board of Directors of Comverse Technology (Pink Sheets: CMVT.PK) and on the Institutional Advisory Board of Carmel Ventures, one of Israel's top-tier venture capital funds.

"Joining Sonus Networks is an honor and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead a company that is changing the way people communicate around the globe. The potential for Sonus is clear and I am excited to lead this remarkable company into its next phase of growth," said Nottenburg. "Hassan is an extraordinary mind who led the beginning of a profound change in the communications paradigm. We are the beneficiaries of his incredible breadth of industry knowledge and deep commitment to nurturing Sonus' growth. I value Hassan's guidance and experience and know that we will continue to build on the strong foundation he and the Sonus team have established."

Over the last decade, Hassan Ahmed has grown the Company to annual revenues of more than $300 million. Sonus is now widely regarded by industry analysts as the world's leader in carrier-grade IP voice communications and counts each of the world's five largest operators as Sonus customers. Under his leadership, revenues have grown at a compound average rate of over 36% in the last five years. Ahmed will continue to
serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sonus Networks and additionally serves on the Board of Directors of Airvana, Inc. (Nasdaq: AIRV). He is also on the Board of Overseers of the Boston Museum of Science and the advisory committee of the Lahore University of Management Sciences as part of his dedication to education around the world.

"The last ten years at Sonus have been an exciting and remarkable period. We embarked on a mission to change communications networks globally and I am confident that at this point in Sonus' life there is no question that will happen. Forging a path to achieve that potential has been a rewarding experience for me, both personally and professionally. Rich's leadership and vision for Sonus ensures Sonus will continue on that path and I am pleased to be a part of its next decade," concluded Ahmed.

About Sonus Networks

Sonus Networks, Inc. is a market leader in IP communications infrastructure solutions for wireline and wireless service providers. With its comprehensive IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) solution, Sonus addresses the full range of carrier applications, including residential and business voice services, wireless voice and multimedia, trunking and tandem switching, carrier interconnection and enhanced services. Sonus' voice infrastructure solutions are deployed in service provider networks worldwide. Founded in 1997, Sonus is headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts. Additional information on Sonus is available at http://www.sonusnet.com.

Motorola Chief Technology Officer steps down - CTO Richard Nottenburg leaves Motorola

Mon, 19 May 2008 16:23:49 +0000

Not that we blame him for leaving, but the last thing Motorola needed was to have its Chief Technology Officer up and leave for greener pastures. Motorola CTO Richard Nottenburg has apparently called it quits on the company that bumped him up to the CTO post following previous Motorola CTO Warrior's departure last year.

Nottenburg's resignation comes on the heels of Carl Icahn's increased stake/influence over Motorola. Motorola officially says that Nottenburg's exit was due to his longing to "return to the New York area to be with his family and pursue other opportunities."

It was a good run, Dick. We wish you all the best. Hopefully the mention of having steered Motorola's wayward ship on your resume doesn't hurt your future employment opportunities…

[Via: Reuters]

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Motorola's chief strategy officer quits

Sun, 18 May 2008 04:14:49 +0000

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rich Nottenburg, Motorola Inc's (MOT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) chief strategy and technology officer, has become the latest senior staff member to exit since activist investor Carl Icahn strengthened his influence, a spokeswoman said on Friday.

The departure of Nottenburg, who added chief technology officer to his title in December, was announced on Thursday in an internal memo, Motorola spokeswoman Jennifer Erickson said.

"He left to return to the New York area to be with his family and pursue other opportunities," Erickson said.

She declined to say when Nottenburg tendered his resignation.

Former Chief Executive Officer Ed Zander, who left in January, named Nottenburg chief technology officer to replace Padmasree Warrior, who left in December "to pursue other opportunities."

The exodus came amid pressure from Icahn.

Motorola last year also saw its chief financial officer and the head of its mobile device business leave.

In April, the Schaumburg, Illinois-based company posted a wider quarterly loss on weak cell phone sales, signaling further market share losses, especially in North America, to rivals such as LG Electronics Inc (066570.KS: Quote, Profile, Research).

It plans to spin off its mobile devices business next year after more than a year of losses.

source

Motorola CTO Richard Nottenburg takes off

Sat, 17 May 2008 07:05:15 +0000

Filed under: Cellphones

Seriously though, how many are surprised to hear that Motorola’s Chief Technology / Strategy Officer Richard Nottenburg is jumping off the sinking ship? Apparently dude “left to return to the New York area to be with his family and pursue other opportunities,” which is code for a) he was passed over for CEO of the new mobile devices company, b) he was fired, or c) he finally wised up to the direction the company’s taken. Either way, we can’t really blame him.

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Motorola CTO Richard Nottenburg takes off

Sat, 17 May 2008 06:24:00 +0000

Filed under: Cellphones

Seriously though, how many are surprised to hear that Motorola's Chief Technology / Strategy Officer Richard Nottenburg is jumping off the sinking ship? Apparently dude "left to return to the New York area to be with his family and pursue other opportunities," which is code for a) he was passed over for CEO of the new mobile devices company, b) he was fired, or c) he finally wised up to the direction the company's taken. Either way, we can't really blame him.