Dell Loses 2 Execs, Vows to Take on World

Dell (DELL) will shake up its management team as part of the computer maker's attempt at a turnaround.

The Round Rock, Texas, company said that Michael Cannon, president of global operations, and Mark Jarvis, chief marketing officer, will leave the company as part of a global restructuring. Dell shares were little changed following the announcement, recently falling 3 cents, or 0.3%, to $10.20.

Cannon will retire from the company at the end of January and will be replaced by Jeff Clarke, who will become vice chairman of global operations and head of Dell's business client product group. Jarvis is expected to depart during this fiscal quarter and will be replaced by Erin Nelson, former vice president of marketing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Both Cannon and Jarvis will remain as consultants to Dell, the company said. Both executives joined Dell in 2007 after its founder, Michael Dell, returned as CEO in a bid to help the company close the gap between Dell and rival PC maker Hewlett-Packard (HPQ).

Dell shares have tumbled 60% over the last two years, underperforming the broader market. H-P, on the other hand, has lost only 8% over the last 24 months.

The announcement came as Dell said it would organize globally around three major customer segments: large enterprise, public sector, and small and medium businesses.

"In the past two years we have significantly improved our competitiveness, reengineered our supply chain, broadened our product portfolio and introduced Dell to more people in more places than ever before," CEO Michael Dell said in a statement. "We have laid the foundation for the transition from a global business that's run regionally to businesses that are really globally organized."

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