7:30 AM -- As Nortel Networks Ltd. limps towards dismemberment, rival vendors are cherry-picking talent from the bankrupt vendor, with Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. the latest to benefit from the Canadian company's skills pool. (See Nortel Disqualified From 2012 Olympics, Nortel Creditor Preps Rescue Plan, Who's Waving Their Wad at Nortel’s MEN?, NSN Picks at Nortel's Mobile Bones , and Will Others Bid for Nortel's Wireless Assets? )

Tim Watkins has joined the Chinese vendor as vice president of Huawei Western Europe. Previously Watkins was Nortel's president for North EMEA, with responsibility for carrier and enterprise accounts in the U.K., Eire (Republic of Ireland), Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg), Scandinavia, and the Middle East. (See Huawei Names Euro VP.)

Other Nortel employees have been finding gainful employ at other vendors, including Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) and Ciena Corp. (NYSE: CIEN). (See Nortel's LTE Brain Drain and Ciena Nets PBT Man.)

— Ray Le Maistre, International News Editor, Light Reading