RIM

RIM has talked up recent subscriber growth in EMEA, as the BlackBerry maker attempts to deflect attention away from continuing shareholder concern over its management strategy. Reuters notes that the vendor posted a Twitter update yesterday claiming that it has added more than one million subscribers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in less than three weeks. Reuters reports that RIM stopped regularly disclosing the figure late last year. Its Nasdaq-listed shares were 3 percent higher at US$28.56 by early afternoon yesterday. They have lost half their value since the start of the year.

A separate Reuters report claims that proxy firm Glass Lewis has been “left unimpressed” by RIM’s promise to study board changes while avoiding an imminent shareholder vote on the matter. RIM last week succumbed to shareholder pressure, supported by Glass Lewis and another major proxy firm, saying it would form a committee to report back by early next year on whether co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie should also retain roles as co-chairmen. Reuters notes that, in an update to its initial report supporting a split, Glass Lewis said it was time for action, not further study. “In short, we believe the proposed committee will be of limited utility in advancing the establishment of independent board oversight,” Glass Lewis analysts wrote in a report.

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