UTStarcom (UTSI), which has seen a large shake-up in its China operations in recent months, has announced that Peter Blackmore will be the company's new president and chief operating officer.

In his new role, Blackmore will be responsible for the Network Solutions Business Unit, International Sales, Marketing & Services, Global Supply Chain, IT and Quality. He will report directly to Hong Lu, chief executive officer at UTStarcom.

"Peter brings a wealth of experience leading operations, sales and service organizations at several multinational Fortune 500 companies," Lu said. "Our expectation is for Peter to ultimately succeed me as a chief executive officer. We expect that this transition will take place within the next year, at the discretion of the board of directors, as Peter gradually takes on more responsibilities in running the company."

Blackmore joins UTStarcom from Unisys, where he served as executive vice president in charge of worldwide sales, marketing and technology since 2005.