BlackBerry loses more key staff

McCann and Gingras mark the latest departures from troubled firm

BlackBerry has reportedly lost two more senior staff, both with key roles in designing features of the BB10 operating system, according to those with knowledge of the matter.

The report comes just a day after it was revealed that US marketing manager Richard Piasentin had left the company, while long-time board members John Wetmore and former chairman John Richardson are also set to leave.

Sources close to BlackBerry have revealed that TA McCann, BlackBerry's VP of BlackBerry Messenger and social media, and Marc Gingras, the man tasked with heading up calendar and contact tools for BlackBerry 10, have both left the Canadian firm. Reports suggest that both men left of their own accord, despite efforts from BlackBerry to persuade them to stay, something that will come as a blow to the struggling smartphone manufacturer.

While BlackBerry's new smartphones had mixed reviews, Gingras was behind one of the more popular features, the hub, which allows users to check all of their messages from a number of applications in one place.

Sales of the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone have been described as "tepid", with the firm - now officially named BlackBerry instead of Research in Motion - struggling to close the gap on smartphone market rivals Apple and Google Android.

However, the firm claims to be making ground among top American businesses, stating that 60 per cent of top US firms are currently trialling or using BB10.