Sprint merging consumer and business groups, four executives leave company

In a company memo obtained by Reuters, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse announced plans to merge sales and marketing for its business and consumer groups. As a result, four executives have been let go: Consumer Services Group President Bob Johnson, Integrated Solutions President Danny Bowman, Consumer Marketing SVP John Carney, and Corporate Development & Spectrum SVP Chris Rogers.

It’s one part acknowledging trends — “the lines between consumers and business have blurred,” said Hesse, a notion we will catch on with laptop manufacturers — and one part having to streamline a company that’s making some pretty big financial gambles. Hesse cited both Network Vision (read: its complex LTE rollout) and the well-publicized iPhone deal contract as reasons for this “more efficient” reshuffling. Paget Alves will serve as chief sales officer while Bill Malloy will be the analogous marketing chief. No word on if the soon-to-be-former executives will be getting new Galaxy Nexus handsets on their way out, but if you ask us, it’s the least Hesse can do.