General Magic Recruits New Chief Operating Officer/Executive Vice President
SUNNYVALE, Calif. — September 25, 1995 — General Magic, Inc. (Nasdaq: GMGC) announced today that it has named Robert Kelsch as chief operating officer and executive vice president. Kelsch, 49, will be responsible for setting General Magic's overall product strategy and managing day-to-day business operations. He will oversee the company's three newly formed divisions – the Magic Cap(TM) Division; the Telescript(TM) Division; and the Worldwide Field Operations Division. Reporting to Kelsch are Steve Schramm, vice president and general manager of the Magic Cap Division; Lucia Hicks-Williams, vice president and general manager of the Telescript Division; and Bill Keating, vice president and general manager of the Worldwide Field Operations Division.
"In the last five years, the company has produced two outstanding software platforms, assembled a world class alliance of Founding Partners, and developed a talented team of 200 Magicians – all key accomplishments for General Magic," said Kelsch. "The recent shift from a functional organization to business divisions enables the company to match its resources with the markets they're targeting for each platform. I look forward to spearheading the product strategy for the new divisions and overall business operations, complementing the current executive team, and am delighted to join General Magic at this key stage in its corporate lifecycle."
Kelsch has extensive experience running domestic and international high technology communication businesses. Prior to joining General Magic, Kelsch was president and chief executive officer of Ericsson Raynet Corporation. Kelsch previously spent 10 years in senior management positions at Nortel (formerly Northern Telecom), including group managing director of Nortel Europe; vice president, networks; and vice president, Meridian Communications Systems. Kelsch also spent 10 years at Bell Northern Research managing the development of advanced office communications products, including one of the world's first digital PBXs.
Kelsch holds a doctorate and a master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Manchester (England), and a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of British Columbia.
"We're ready for someone of Bob Kelsch's stature and experience to manage our evolution from an R&D company to a world-class operating company," said Marc Porat, chairman and chief executive officer of General Magic. "Bob has strong leadership skills and a proven track record in complex P&L management. Bob Kelsch, working with Lucia, Steve and Bill, are an outstanding management team."
As announced earlier this month, General Magic recently reorganized into two market-focused business divisions for its Magic Cap and Telescript platforms. The Magic Cap division expects to focus its efforts on developing platform and application software for a variety of communications vehicles, including personal intelligent communicators (PICs), Windows(TM) and Macintosh(TM) personal computers, mobile phones, and screen-based phones. The Telescript division expects to focus its efforts on developing network-based platforms and application software for public network operators, wireless networks, the Internet and corporate enterprise.
General Magic was founded in May 1990. Its mission is to participate in the electronic marketplace by developing and licensing software to leading providers of communication products, network services and network applications. The General Magic Founding Partners Council members are AT&T, Cable & Wireless, France Telecom, Fujitsu, Matsushita, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric, Motorola, Nortel, NTT, Oki, Philips, Sanyo, Sony, and Toshiba. The company's field operations are in Tokyo, Japan; Paris, France; and Sunnyvale, California.
Magic Cap and Telescript are trademarks of General Magic, Inc. General Magic acknowledges the rights of the trademark owners for all trademarks referred to herein.
CONTACT:
Jane Anderson, 408-774-4040, [email protected], or Viki Paige, 408-774-4434, [email protected], both of General Magic