Dell Hires Motorola Executive

Dell Inc. has hired Motorola’s former handset chief as president of its consumer business, the troubled U.S. computer maker said Friday.

Ron Garriques, who starts Monday in the new position, will be responsible for all consumer products, from desktop and notebooks to software and peripherals, as well as product design and sales, Dell said.

He will report to founder Michael Dell, who reclaimed the chief executive position last month after ousting Kevin Rollins.

Garriques will create a new global consumer operation that will focus, in part, on creating opportunities in fast-growing and emerging markets, Michael Dell said.

Garriques, a high-profile Motorola executive who joined the telecommunications equipment maker in 1998, was its executive vice president and president of its mobile devices business.

Motorola Inc. of Schaumburg, Ill., said Ray Roman, senior vice president of Motorola’s global sales, and Terry Vega, senior vice president of global devices, would serve as interim co-heads of the mobile devices business.

The departure of Garriques follows poor fourth quarter results for Motorola, primarily driven by weakness in its wireless handset business.