Skype calls on ex-Motorola exec

Internet calling provider Skype said yesterday that it has hired Scott Durchslag, a former Motorola executive, to become its chief operating officer.

Durchslag spent more than five years at Motorola where he was most recently corporate vice president of global product and experience invention for the mobile devices business unit. Skype said that while in that position Durchslag "led product strategy, innovation, intellectual property, design, user interfaces, consumer experiences, partnerships, product marketing, and customer care".

Despite Motorola's poor handset performance, Durchslag had some significant successes at Motorola. He helped strike deals with Google, Microsoft, Yahoo! and Kodak to bring new services to Motorola's mobile devices. And in a previous role at the company, he was in charge of Motorola's South Asia region where he was able to build a business with the highest margins for Motorola, according to Skype.

When he joined Motorola in 2002 as chief strategy officer of the Personal Communications Sector, Durchslag helped develop the turnaround strategy that doubled market share and revenue for that part of the business between 2002 and 2007, Skype also said in a statement.

Josh Silverman, who was named Skype's president in March is confident Durchslag will help Skype innovate and bring new services to market.

He said in a statement: "[Durchslag] has an outstanding track record and will be able to help us apply best practices in staying ever more customer-focused and nimble, even while becoming larger."

Skype provides free and low-cost voice, video calling, and instant-messaging services over the internet. The company was acquired by eBay in 2005 for $2.6bn. And even though it is by far the most successful VoIP services company in terms of users with 309 million registered users worldwide, it hasn't been a financial success for eBay. Last year, eBay took a $900m so-called impairment write-down against the value of Skype. In essence, the company admitted to shareholders it has taken a loss on its original investment.

But mobile is likely the next frontier for Skype. And Durchslag's experience could help the company come up with a viable strategy.

Original article: Skype taps former Motorola exec for COO post from CNET News.com