Mike Zafirovski has resigned as Motorola's president and
COO, effective Jan. 31. Zafirovski says he is ready to pursue "other
opportunities."
Speculation began circulating that Zafirovski would exit Motorola back in
December 2003 when Ed Zander, a former Sun Microsystems executive, was tapped to
take over for outgoing CEO Christopher Galvin.
Zafirovski, who will stay on in an advisory role during the transition, was
credited with returning profitability to Motorola's handset division a few years
ago. He was appointed COO in July 2002 after Ed Breen exited the company to run
troubled Tyco International. He was promoted to president in 2003.
Motorola recently announced plans to revamp its business structure to better
align the company with its seamless mobility strategy. Effective Jan. 1,
Motorola realigned its business into four groups: personal devices; networks;
government and enterprise; and connected home.
When the reorganization was announced in mid-December, Motorola said the
revamped structure would enable it to capitalize on its ability to cross-sell
products and services.
Motorola shares were down 9 cents to $16.55 at one point in late morning
trading action on the Nasdaq.