Lenovo’s management team has two new faces: A new leader for its Europe, Middle East Africa operations, and a senior media relations executive who most recently worked for Verizon.

In Europe, Francois Bornibus has been promoted to lead EMEA ops but will continue to report to  Luca Rossi, who will still have “overarching responsibility” for both EMEA and Latin America markets, Lenovo said.

Joining Lenovo’s PR team is Torod Neptune as Vice President Global Communications effective March 27. He has been VP of corporate communications for Verizon.

Neptune replaces Jeff Shafer who recently joined the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Torod reports to Lenovo Chief Marketing Officer David Roman.

Lenovo, the world’s largest PC seller, operates one of its two global headquarters in Morrisville. The other is located in Beijing.

The EMEA move

The U.K. Register said the EMEA move was made “following five quarters of shrinking turnover and recent operating losses.”

“A Lenovo spokesman told us the firm wanted a local management team that has ‘dedicated focus,’ and judging by the recent string of relatively crappy financial results, this is much needed,” the Register added.

Lenovo said Bornibus has three major priorities:

  • “Leverage Lenovo’s position as the leading PC manufacturer at Worldwide level to achieve the company’s ambition of becoming the number one PC vendor in EMEA together with continue to drive growth and capture share in the tablet market where Lenovo is currently the solid number three vendor in EMEA.
  • “Consolidate Lenovo’s position as the number three server vendor in EMEA and reinforce the position of Lenovo Data Center Group as a strong contender in the enterprise market by offering customers complete end-to-end solutions, including storage, server, networking, and related software and services.
  • “Continue to support Motorola’s ambitions to bring the full portfolio to markets across EMEA in all price categories with focus on Mid-tier to Premium segments, and becoming a global top three player.”

“Francois has a strong track-record within the EMEA business and an extensive understanding of Lenovo, driving outstanding results in a challenging market,” Rossi said in a statement. “Together we have set a great foundation that, with Francois’s leadership and experience, will ensure that Lenovo can continue to deliver on our strong business ambitions.”

The Media move

Neptune has held a variety of senior communications roles at Verizon.

“Lenovo is a global, dynamic company, delivering incredible value to enterprises and consumers worldwide. I’m certainly excited to join the team,” Neptune said in the announcement of his new job. “The communications function is a highly-valued outcomes-driven group. I’m looking forward to continuing the great work we’re doing to amplify the Lenovo brand and reputation.”

Roman said Neptune’s “exceptional pedigree and experience in the technology industry makes him a fantastic addition to Lenovo. I know he will bring great leadership to our global communicators as we continue to build the Lenovo brand and business around the world.”    

Neptune was responsible for “defining and managing Verizon’s communications strategies worldwide, including corporate messaging; social media; digital strategy; public affairs; media and industry analyst relations; executive communications; community relations and multicultural and employee communications,” Lenovo noted.

Previously he worked for Waggener Edstrom Worldwide.