Huawei Australia announces appointment of new CEO
Australia, February 27, 2014: Huawei Australia has announced the appointment of new CEO Zhao Xichu, with outgoing CEO Guo Fulin. The appointment of Mr Zhao follows Huawei’s global practice of rotating senior executives through different markets to help them gain a breadth of management experience, and comes with the approval of the local Board of Directors.
“It is a great privilege to take on the CEO role in Australia, a market of great strategic focus for Huawei Technologies,” Mr Zhao said. “Huawei Australia has been a trailblazer for Huawei globally as the first country with a local Board of Directors, and I look forward to working with the local Board as we continue to grow our presence in the Australian market.”
Huawei Australia Chairman John Lord said the local Board welcomed the arrival of the new CEO. “Huawei’s corporate structure is a great example of ‘Western governance with Oriental characteristics’, and one of Huawei’s great strengths is the practice of rotating CEOs on fixed terms,” he said. “This allows for innovative ideas to flourish and brings fresh global experience to each local office. The local Board also would like to pass on our best wishes to outgoing CEO Guo Fulin.”
Mr Zhao was appointed as Sales Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Huawei Indonesia, overseeing sales growth from US$30m to $1.5bn, between 2004-2011. Most recently, Mr Zhao was appointed global account director for Airtel in 2012, a role which spanned 20 countries in India and Africa. Mr. Zhao has over 14 years of working experience across the globe and he is committed to contributing his extensive industry insights and knowledge to see Huawei Australia's continued success.