The top executive in charge of leading-edge wireless research at Calgary’s Nortel Networks has left the company after a 20-year career.
But company officials say the departure of Peter Garrett, vice-president of access development, is not related to any planned staff reductions.
“He wasn’t part of this layoff thing,” said Nortel spokeswoman Sue Tomchuk.
“Executives come and go. I know there’s been a number of other senior people in the company that have left recently, but they do all the time.
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| Peter Garrett |
“It seems to be noticed more when we’re downsizing, or there’s people leaving the company in numbers.”
Garrett declined to comment on the circumstances of his departure, confirming only he left in early February. In January, Nortel announced it was cutting about 100 of its 2,000 positions in Calgary as part of a worldwide job reduction of 4,000 full-time jobs.
The Brampton-based telecommunications giant drastically revised its estimate last month, saying it was lowering its growth outlook and profit projections and planning to cut a total of 10,000 jobs worldwide.
“We did do some downsizing in January, and since then there hasn’t been any activity (in Calgary) that I’m aware of,” added Tomchuk.
In Calgary, Nortel is building a $54-million expansion at its northeast Westwinds campus, adding a 200,000-sq.-ft. facility to provide more room for wireless research and development.
Tomchuk said third-generation (3G) wireless development research is still a key focus for Nortel’s Calgary operations.
She added Garrett’s replacement is Graham Richardson, a former director of research for Nortel’s in-vehicle wireless Internet product line.
