Top American executive for HTC resigns

Todd Achilles, the face of HTC Americas in the United States and throughout the Americas, resigned about a month ago, Achilles confirmed today.
The smartphone vendor is actively pursuing candidates to replace Achilles, said Jason Gordon, an HTC spokesman.
Achilles said today that after traveling “80%” of the time for the past year, he was taking time off for his family. His wife will have their second child in November.
The former HTC executive said that he was “looking at all the opportunities out there” and would likely remain in wireless, though he insisted he currently has no firm destination in mind.
HTC, in partnership with Microsoft Corp., has become one of the leading purveyors of innovative smartphones running the Windows Mobile operating system.
Achilles joined HTC Americas last year after working at T-Mobile USA Inc., last serving as director of the carrier’s handset product management effort.
Whether the temporary lack of its top U.S. executive will impact HTC’s momentum remains to be seen.
HTC Americas, established in 2005, is based in Bellevue, Wash., and its 10-year-old parent company is based in Taiwan. The parent company has shifted from a heritage of making personal computers to creating handheld, converged devices. Its American arm, which employs about 400 people, has historically produced smartphones that carry branding by U.S. carriers. But the company has ambitions to develop its own brand identity. As with other handset vendors, the company is widely expected to produce a portfolio of products for U.S. carriers this fall.
Despite competing against Apple Inc., Nokia Corp., Research In Motion Ltd. and Palm Inc., HTC has gained a reputation for innovation, perhaps emboldened by its relations with Microsoft. But in an interview last fall with RCR Wireless News, Achilles said that HTC was not beholden to Microsoft and its focus on smartphones was the beginning of a move into devices that would bridge the gap between smartphones and laptops.