Sony Ericsson director moves to Chinese post

Marketing communications boss returns to Far East, less than 18 months after Singapore recall

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications head of global marketing communications Alex Rodrigues is to take up a position with Sony Ericsson China. He will be in charge of marketing and communications for the region.

Rodrigues has been replaced by Dee Dutta, former head of customer acquisition for T-Mobile. Most recently, Dutta was responsible for small business markets at WorldCom, the telecoms company currently embroiled in an accountancy scandal.

A spokeswoman for Sony Ericsson says: “This is a big job: China is a massive emerging market. His new post will be very different to his recent responsibilities.”

Rodrigues replaces Rowland Cheng, who is to be sent to Hong Kong to look after business development in the Hong Kong region.

Former Ericsson UK consumer products marketing chief Rodrigues was sent to Singapore last March, to run the Ericsson Accessories business in the Asia-Pacific region (MW March 29, 2001). He was recalled just two months later to become managing director of Ericsson’s UK consumer products division (MW May 24, 2001).

Rodrigues was made head of global marketing communications last year, following the announcement of a new management structure at Sony Ericsson, the joint venture mobile phone company which was formed last October. He was responsible for liaising with Sony Ericsson’s creative agency, Bartle Bogle Hegarty, and reported to global marketing chief Philip Van Houtte.