The moves follow swiftly from founder Michael Dell retaking the reins at the computer maker following the ousting of Kevin Rollins from his role as CEO late last month.

Commenting on Garriques' appointment, Michael Dell said: "We are asking Ron to create a new global consumer organization that will set new standards for innovative product design, leadership in providing the best customer experience, and flexibility in how we build and distribute products and services to meet the evolving needs of our customers around the world."

The company would not comment whether the appointment signals a move into the mobile phone sector or other consumer electronics markets. Earlier attempts by Dell to branch out into mainstream consumer electronics and away from its core PC business, which is mainly targeted at business customers rather than consumers, have met with mixed results.

Last year, only about a fifth of Dell's $56 billion sales went to consumers.