(Reuters) – BlackBerry’s chief executive officer, John Chen, has resigned and will exit the company on Friday, the Globe and Mail reported on Monday, citing a source familiar with the matter.
The Canadian technology company is expected to announce an interim or full-time replacement when it discloses the news, expected later in the day, according to the report.
U.S.-listed shares of the company gained 7% in late afternoon trading on the report.
Chen, who joined BlackBerry in November 2013, led the company’s turnaround efforts in pivoting it from consumer hardware business to one that focused on enterprise software.
Last year, BlackBerry pulled the plug on its smartphones business and has since been trying to sell its legacy patents related to its mobile devices.
BlackBerry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
(Reporting by Yuvraj Malik and Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
