Growney to exit Motorola; Breen to become president

Reuters News Service reported this morning that Edward Breen will succeed Robert Growney as Motorola’s president and chief operating officer on Jan. 1, 2002.

Breen is Motorola’s executive vice president and president of the company’s Networks Sector. From 1997 to 2000, Breen was chairman, president and chief executive officer for General Instrument, which merged with Motorola on Jan. 5, 2000. Earlier, Breen was president of the Broadband Networks Group for General Instrument from 1996 to 1997. From 1994 to 1996, he served as executive vice president of terrestrial systems, where he directed the division’s terrestrial products worldwide and managed the division’s addressable, distribution and telephony strategic business units.

From 1988 to 1994, as senior vice president of sales, Breen was responsible for the terrestrial products worldwide sales organization. This included overseeing sales personnel and activities in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Breen joined General Instrument in 1978.

Growney announced earlier this year his intention to retire in 2002 when he turns 60. The report from Reuters said that Growney will become vice chairman when he steps down as president and chief operating officer, and then retire on March 31, 2002.

Growney joined Motorola in 1966 and has held a variety of increasing managerial responsibilities in wireless communications. He became vice president and general manager of the Fixed Products Division of the Communications Sector in 1985. A year later, he was elected corporate vice president.

He was elevated to senior vice president and general manager of the Radio Technologies Group in 1989, senior vice president and general manager of the Paging and Telepoint Systems Group in 1991 and executive vice president and general manager of the Paging and Wireless Data Group in 1992. In 1994, he was elected president and general manager of the Messaging, Information and Media Sector, which combines the wireless digital capabilities of paging and wireless data with the wireline communications competencies of the Information Systems Group.

He succeeded Christopher B. Galvin as president and chief operating officer in 1997 when Galvin moved up to chairman and chief executive.