BlackBerry Announces Appointment of Steven Capelli as Chief Financial Officer


WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Sept. 28, 2016) - BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY)(TSX:BB) today announced the appointment of Steven Capelli as Chief Financial Officer. Capelli brings 25 years of executive experience in the software and technology industry with a strong track record for driving profitable growth and increased operational efficiencies across business and corporate functions.

"I am pleased to welcome Steve Capelli as our new Chief Financial Officer," said John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO of BlackBerry. "Steve is a highly experienced and respected financial expert and a strong business partner. He served in various roles at both Pyramid and Sybase for several years and reported directly to me during my service as the CEO of those companies. I look forward to the many contributions he will make toward driving value for BlackBerry shareholders as we continue to focus on end-to-end mobility solutions and enterprise software."

Most recently, Capelli was President of Worldwide Field Operations at Sybase with responsibility for $1 billion in annual revenue. Capelli also led international operations at Sybase as General Manager with responsibility for sales, operations, finance, customer support, marketing and human resources. Prior to Sybase, Capelli was Chief Financial Officer of Siemens Pyramid. Earlier in his career, he served in controller roles at Digital Equipment Corporation, Unisys Corporation and WR Grace and Company. Capelli currently serves on numerous corporate boards with representation on audit, compensation and governance committees. He received a bachelor's degree in accounting from The College of New Jersey and an MBA in finance from Rutgers University.

Effective October 1, Capelli will lead the company's corporate accounting, FP&A, treasury, tax, procurement and investor relations teams. He will report to Executive Chairman and CEO John Chen, and will succeed James Yersh, who is leaving the company for personal reasons. Yersh will remain with BlackBerry through October 31 and will assist with the transition.

"On behalf of the Board and our shareholders, I want to thank James for his great contributions to BlackBerry," said Chen. "Under James' leadership we have achieved excellent financial discipline, a key accomplishment as part of our overall turnaround and transformation strategy for BlackBerry. We respect James' decision and wish him the very best."

About BlackBerry

BlackBerry secures, connects and mobilizes the enterprise. For today's enterprise of things, BlackBerry provides devices and a software platform that enables and manages security, mobility and communications between and among hardware, programs, mobile apps and the internet of things. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates in North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, 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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Contact Information:

Media Contact:
BlackBerry Media Relations
(519) 597-7273
mediarelations@BlackBerry.com

Investor Contact:
BlackBerry Investor Relations
(519) 888-7465
investor_relations@BlackBerry.com

Company ProfileBlackBerry LimitedIndustry: Technology Hardware & Equipment