ShoreTel Names New CEOShoreTel Names New CEO

Peter Blackmore is a veteran of UTStarcom, with experience in China and Japan, bolstering ShoreTel's international ambitions.

Shoretel announced today that it has hired Peter Blackmore, formerly CEO of UTStarcom, to be the company's new CEO, replacing John Combs, who retired earlier this year. UTStarcom makes IPTV and broadband equipment for the service provider market.

Blackmore is also a veteran of Unisys and Compaq, then HP after the latter acquired the former. He was CEO of UTStarcom from 2008 until earlier this year; he had previously been UTStarcom's Chief Operating Officer. He stepped aside as the company's CEO after a Chinese company backed by the city of Beijing invested $25 million in UTStarcom this past February.

In making the announcement, ShoreTel emphasized Blackmore's work in expanding UTStarcom's business in China and Japan, suggesting that the hire is meant to support ShoreTel's own ambitions to become more of a force in markets outside the U.S.