BlackBerry says 3 more executives are out

BlackBerry's chief operating officer, chief technical officer and chief marketing officer are leaving the company, the Waterloo, Ont.-based smartphone maker said in a release today.

COO Kristian Tear andCMO Frank Boulben are leaving the company, effective immediately, the company said Monday.

BlackBerry also announced that James Yersh will replace Brian Bidulka as CFO, although the latter will stay with the company in an advisory role.

Yersh has been with BlackBerrysince 2008 and was previously the company's comptroller andin charge of compliance issues.

The company also announced that long-serving board member Roger Martin, dean of the University of Toronto's business school, has stepped down.

The changes come as BlackBerry reworks its operations in an effort to reduce costs and downsize amid deepened financial losses.

During the past few months, the company has announced that it will lay off 40 per cent of its staff, or about 4,500 employees

The executive departures, however, are the first since John Chen was named chair and interim CEO earlier this month.