Fernando Morales/The Globe and Mail
BlackBerry Ltd.'s board of directors is set to get smaller as one independent member with industry experience exits.
Former Sony Ericsson CEO Bert Nordberg will not stand for re-election as a board member, according to a company filing.
BlackBerry stated that the board would shrink to six members, with the intention to add more experienced leaders in the coming year. "During the current fiscal year, the board intends to increase its membership by two qualified directors, taking into consideration the board's composition, experience and activity level," the document states.
Mr. Nordberg was appointed as a director because of his experience in mobile communications. As head of Sony Ericsson from 2009 to 2012, he made waves by shifting from the Symbian operating system over to Android, giving the company a boost before Sony bought out the half of Ericsson it didn't control in the joint venture in 2011.
Mr. Nordberg had only been a director since early 2013. His exit comes as the company is in the midst of a turnaround effort led by CEO John Chen, which has seen BlackBerry trim its staff, sell off real estate and refinance.
Insurance and investment firm Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. led a group of investors that invested $1.25-billion in the smartphone maker last year after an effort to take the company private collapsed. Fairfax recently cut its equity stake in the company, becoming the second largest shareholder.
In fiscal 2014, Mr. Nordberg's compensation was $197,890 in cash and deferred share units.