Motorola names new chairman

Former AT&T's CEO David Dorman will become Motorola's chairman next month as the struggling mobile phone maker tries to fix its slumping fortunes and split itself into two companies, an Associated Press report said.

The announcement comes two days after Motorola ended a proxy fight with activist investor Carl Icahn, agreeing to give two of his nominees seats on its board of directors.

Dorman, 54, will assume the non-executive position on 5 May, after chairman and former chief executive Ed Zander retires at the company's annual meeting.

He'll be in charge of the board, but have no role in the day-to-day business of the company, the report said.

Dorman has spent nearly three decades in telecoms, working at Sprint, Pacific Bell, SBC and Concert, a global venture between AT&T and BT. He became AT&T's president in December 2000 and served as the company's chairman and CEO from 2002 until November 2005. He joined the board of Schaumburg-based Motorola in 2006.