HTC has reportedly named a new CFO as its current CFO focuses more on global sales amid the company's efforts to revive revenues behind its new flagship One M8 smartphone and mid-range phones.
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According to a Bloomberg report, which cited unnamed sources, Edward Wang was named CFO to replace incumbent CFO Chang Chialin, who is putting more effort into his role as the smartphone maker's global sales chief. Wang was previously associate vice president of finance and accounting, according to HTC's annual report.
HTC declined to comment on Wang's appointment and referred to a statement it made in December when Chang was appointed to the sales role. Chang will remain CFO "until the time a transition of responsibilities makes sense," HTC said in the Dec. 17 statement.
If Wang's appointment is confirmed it would follow news on Friday that Scott Croyle, HTC's senior vice president of design and the man behind the distinctive look of the One smartphones, will be leaving the firm. HTC said he is leaving as part of a "long-term transition" and will still be a part of HTC product development in a consultancy role for a few months.
As The Verge notes, Croyle led HTC's industrial design and user experience teams since his One & Co studio was acquired by HTC in 2008. "HTC remains at the forefront of smartphone innovation," the company said. "Scott Croyle will be focusing on special projects and dedicated on next generation developments."
The Verge said Croyle's deputy, Jonah Becker, will likely to take over most of his duties. However, HTC also said that Drew Bamford has been promoted from leading the company's Sense UI user experience to being in charge of all HTC software and services and will report directly to CEO Peter Chou.
"Drew Bamford is an experienced and talented leader at HTC with solid track records in leading and building our user experience team," the company said. "Effective immediately, in addition to his current duties in product development and user experience, Drew will lead HTC Creative Labs and focus on innovative new products and user experience strategies."
HTC reported a net loss of $62 million in the first quarter as revenue for the quarter dropped to $1.09 billion, down from $1.41 billion in the year-ago quarter. On March 25, HTC introduced and started selling the One M8, the successor to last year's One M7 smartphone. The company hopes that the device's updated software, camera and industrial design will help lure buyers as well as its strong carrier distribution, especially in North America.
HTC hopes it can gain inroads on Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S5, its main competitor for the moment in the high-end smartphone market. HTC is also using an unconventional marketing campaign aimed at leveraging Internet buzz and solid reviews about the M8 by telling potential buyers not to take HTC's word for it on whether they should buy the phone, but to simply "go ask the Internet." HTC also aims to go after the middle of the smartphone market with its new Desire-branded phones.
For more:
- see this Bloomberg article
- see this The Verge article
- see this Re/code article
- see this GigaOM article
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