RIM marketing executive jumps ship for Samsung

* Digital marketing chief leaves at critical time

* RIM to lay off staff as profit picture clouds

TORONTO, June 20 (Reuters) - Brian Wallace, who headed
digital marketing efforts at Research In Motion (RIM.TO)
(RIMM.O), has left the BlackBerry maker for a job at Samsung
(005930.KS), a smartphone competitor that uses Google's
(GOOG.O) Android software.

The departure was first reported by trade publication
Advertising Age, which said Wallace will become Samsung's
vice-president of strategic marketing for the United States,
working from Dallas. Reuters confirmed the exit with a source
at RIM, while Wallace also acknowledged the move on his Twitter
page.

The change comes at a pivotal time for Waterloo,
Ontario-based RIM as it works to push out new smartphones with
the QNX operating system that it uses in its PlayBook tablet.

The exit comes days after news of a medical leave for Chief
Operating Officer Don Morrison. It also follows the departure
of Keith Pardy, RIM's head of marketing, in March, just weeks
before RIM launched the PlayBook, its answer to Apple's
(AAPL.O) (AAPL.O) hugely successful iPad.

RIM said last Thursday it would reduce staff numbers after
posting a disappointing profit and warning its earnings would
fall further due to delays launching new devices.
[ID:nL3E7HH1AW]

Its shares have lost half their value this year and were
down 5.8 percent at $26.14 on Nasdaq on Monday afternoon, a
fresh five-year low.
(Reporting by Alastair Sharp; editing by Peter Galloway)