New chief named for Motorola

Motorola is getting a second chief executive

Motorola has appointed a new chief executive.

The company has announced that Dr Sanjay Jha will be joining as co-chief executive officer and will operate as head of the company's mobile device operation.

Greg Brown will serve in the second co-chief executive officer position and take charge of the company's Broadband Mobility Solutions operation.

Jha joins Motorola from Qualcomm, where he has served as chief operating officer since late 2006.

The appointment of Jha is a landmark step in the company's ongoing efforts to split into two separate groups. Jha and Brown will be tasked with turning the ship around at Motorola, which hasn't seen a profit in its last six quarters.

The company's board of directors applauded the move, saying in a statement that: "As co-CEOs, Greg and Sanjay will build on the significant changes and solid progress achieved at Motorola and the Mobile Devices business under Greg's leadership during the last seven months."

Jha was similarly optimistic about his new role at Motorola.

"I welcome the opportunity to lead this company into the future, while working to create a successful independent Mobile Devices company that will continue to innovate and grow for years to come," he said.

"I look forward to working closely with Greg, the board, the senior leadership team, and Motorola's talented, hard-working and dedicated associates around the globe to build value for our stockholders."