BlackBerry Appoints Leadership for Devices Business

January 06, 2014

WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Jan. 6, 2014) - BlackBerry® Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSX:BB), a world leader in mobile communications, today announced that Ron Louks will join the Company as President, Devices and Emerging Solutions reporting to BlackBerry's Executive Chair and CEO, John Chen.

"I am pleased to add another outstanding addition to BlackBerry's executive leadership team with the announcement of Ron today," said Chen. "I am confident that Ron will bring the skills and expertise that will make an immediate impact to BlackBerry and to our customers around the world."

Chen added, "Ron will focus on BlackBerry's long-term product roadmap, including hardware, software and design, as well as the Company's joint development efforts. A good deal of Ron's time will be spent with customers, carriers and partners. On our path to return BlackBerry to profitability, nothing is more important than remaining deeply connected to our customers, and designing and delivering secure products that exceed their expectations."

Ron Louks joins BlackBerry from The OpenNMS Group, where he served as the Chief Executive Officer. Prior to that, Ron held many leadership positions over several decades in the technology industry, including as the Chief Strategy Officer of HTC America Inc. and the Chief Technology Officer at Sony Ericsson.

About BlackBerry

A global leader in mobile communications, BlackBerry® revolutionized the mobile industry when it was introduced in 1999. Today, BlackBerry aims to inspire the success of our millions of customers around the world by continuously pushing the boundaries of mobile experiences. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Company trades under the ticker symbols "BB" on the Toronto Stock Exchange and "BBRY" on the NASDAQ. For more information, visit www.blackberry.com.

Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used herein, words such as "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "should", "intend", "believe", and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by BlackBerry Limited in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that BlackBerry believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Many factors could cause BlackBerry's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the "Risk Factors" section of BlackBerry's Annual Information Form, which is included in its Annual Report on Form 40-F (copies of which filings may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on BlackBerry's forward-looking statements. BlackBerry has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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