Huawei enlists UK director trio
Chinese networking vendor appoints former head of BP, Lord Browne, as its new independent non-executive chairman of its UK board
Huawei has today announced a trio of high-profile appointments to its UK board of directors.
The firm has appointed Lord Browne of Madingley as independent non-executive chairman of its UK arm, Huawei Technologies UK. Lord Browne was previously the chief executive of BP between 1995 and 2007.
Huawei has also appointed Dame Helen Alexander, chairwoman of marketing and communications business UBM; and Sir Andrew Cahn, who was on Huawei UK's advisory board from 2011 to 2014, as independent non-executive directors.
The trio will be responsible for assessing Huawei's performance in the UK and giving guidance to the UK management team, as well as the other usual legal requirements of directors.
Lord Browne said it was an honour to be appointed as the first independent chairman of the Chinese giant's UK board.
"In a short period of time, Huawei has become a global leader in technology and one of mainland China's largest investors in the UK. I have worked in China and with Chinese businesses for the past 40 years, and continue to be impressed by the corporate sector's ambition and potential. I am delighted to be leading this board as it supports Huawei's next phase of growth," he said.
The news of the appointments follows Huawei's recent focus on the European market, with the vendor claiming it procured $3.4bn (£2.03bn) worth of components, engineering servers and logistical services from Europe in 2013.
As part of this European drive, the vendor launched a research and development centre in Bristol last year.
Sir Cahn, independent non-executive director of the Huawei UK board, said: "I am very pleased to continue my association with Huawei; it is just the sort of global, ambitious company that we need to invest in the UK. The advisory board that I chaired contributed to the successful expansion of the UK business and I look forward to playing a part in the company's future success."
The trio will work alongside the three executive directors of the UK board: Ken Hu, Chen Lifang and Gordon Luo.