TORONTO -- Nortel(x) (NYSE/TSX: NT) President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mike Zafirovski today announced the appointment of John Haydon as Chief Procurement Officer.

Haydon, whose appointment is effective February 13, will report to Joel Hackney, senior vice president, Global Supply Chain and Quality. A long-time Nortel employee, Haydon will relocate to Hong Kong, and will have responsibility for the Company's approximately US$7 billion in annual purchases and all supplier relationships.

"This appointment is about creating a world-class sourcing organization for Nortel," said Hackney. "John is a recognized leader and innovator who has brought new levels of collaboration and discipline to supplier selection and management at Nortel. His continued leadership will be critical as we drive Nortel's market position around cost, quality and speed."

Haydon brings more than 22 years of international experience to this position. He has held a number of increasingly senior management positions at Nortel in the areas of manufacturing, field operations, customer service, sales and marketing, supply management, and global supply chain management. Most recently he served as Nortel's vice president for Global Supply Chain.

Nortel Networks Ltd.