Ericsson has announced Rima Qureshi, a 20-year veteran of the company, as its new chief strategy officer, following the resignation of Doug Gilstrap earlier in April. Gilstrap joined Ericsson in 2009.
In her new role, Qureshi—now Ericsson’s most senior female employee—will be the force behind the firm’s M&A activity, which in recent years have been vigorous. She will also lead the Modems business unit.
Qureshi, who featured in Telecoms.com’s 2010 profile of the industry’s most influential women, joined Ericsson in 1993 and was previously responsible for the firm’s CDMA business. Among her most high profile responsibilities was the integration of the CDMA and LTE assets that Ericsson acquired as part of the dismantling of Nortel in 2009.
“The industry is going through a rapid transformation and I could not think of a more exciting time period to lead Ericsson’s Group strategy development,” said Qureshi. “At the same time I am also looking forward to working closely with the team at Business Unit Modems to ensure we are successful based on the industry’s most advanced LTE thin modem.”
CEO Hans Vestberg, added: ” Rima’s comprehensive experience in driving both business and M&A’s, along with a solid track record in strategy development and execution, makes her ideal for the job.”