Sanjay Jha in at Motorola as co-CEO, handset division chief

August 4th, 2008 by

Motorola announced today that it would be appointing Qualcomm’s former COO Sanjay Jha to head up its ailing handset division — much to the chagrin of our own Ryan Block. Jha will also take on co-executive duties for the parent company along with current CEO Greg Brown. The news comes hot on the heels of speculation that the electronics-maker will spin off its mobile phone wing as a separate, publicly traded entity, though chatter persists that an outright sale of the division may be more economically advisable at this stage. So here’s the question that begs asking: why has Moto gone the co-CEO route? Whether it’s a matter of the board’s confidence in Brown’s abilities, or a by-product of some unseen moves, it comes off as unusual at best.