RIM's India exec leaves amid BlackBerry snooping pressure
updated 08:05 pm EDT, Thu November 3, 2011
Company appoints interim leader
Research In Motion has confirmed that Frenny Bawa, managing director of the company's Indian division, has stepped down from her position to pursue other interests. Although the executive's reasons for leaving RIM were not fully disclosed, the announcement follows strong pressure from the Indian government to gain access to encrypted communications sent via BlackBerry Messenger.
Problems between RIM and the Indian government were widely reported in the media, rather than being handled in secret. Recent reports suggest the company was forced to open a facility in Mumbai to fulfill the surveillance requests.
Bawa's move also follows the departure of Robert Crow, who served as head of government relations and played a significant role in negotiating with the Indian government.
To fill the void until a replacement for Bawa is found, the company has temporarily appointed Urpo Karjalainen, senior VP for China, India, Australia and New Zealand. [via Reuters]
