John Chen is Executive Chairman of BlackBerry’s Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer.
John is a distinguished and proven leader in the technology industry. Prior to joining BlackBerry, he served as Chairman and CEO of Sybase Inc. from 1997 for 15 years, where he developed and led the company’s re-invention from a mature, slower-growth technology company into a $1.5 billion-plus high-growth innovator. Under his direction, Sybase became the leading provider of enterprise mobility and mobile commerce solutions, achieving 55 consecutive quarters of profitability.
John previously held a series of executive positions at Semins Nixdorf, Pyramid Technology Corp., Unisys and Burroughs Corp, where he started his career as an engineer.
John graduated from Brown University magna com laude with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and holds a master's in electrical engineering from California Institute of Technology.
John is actively involved in international relations. He has testified before Congress on U.S.–China trade relations.
John served on the board of directors for The Walt Disney Company and Wells Fargo. He is active in the not-for-profit community, and is also a trustee of Caltech, member of CFR, national trustee of The First Tee and Governor of the San Francisco Symphony