Huawei Australia appoints Australian business leader to board

(Thursday 1 March) Huawei Australia today announced successful Australian businessman, Mr Lance Hockridge had been appointed to its local Board of Directors.

Mr Hockridge retired as Managing Director and CEO of Aurizon in November 2016 and has more than 30 years’ experience in the transportation and heavy industrial sectors in Australia and the United States with BHP Billiton and BlueScope Steel.

Huawei Australia Chairman, Mr John Lord said Mr Hockridge would bring a wealth of business experience and knowledge to the Board.

“Lance has played successful leadership roles in some of Australia’s largest companies, here and abroad,” Mr Lord said.

“His management and experience delivering large infrastructure projects will complement our business as we continue to rollout 4.5G mobile networks and prepare for the 5G revolution.

“He will also provide great insight for our growing Enterprise business as more and more mining and transport projects consider our world leading communications and IT products and solutions.

Huawei’s global R&D support and solutions can ensure Australia is at the forefront of these new technologies and Lance’s guidance to our teams will be important,” Mr Lord said.

The Huawei Australia Board of Directors will also see Mr David Xu (Xu Zhidong) join as an Executive Director. Mr Xu joined Huawei as an Engineer in 2000 and has worked in China and European markets before taking up his current role with the global corporate team managing Huawei subsidiary businesses.

The Huawei Australia Board was established in 2011 – the first local board Huawei established anywhere in the world.

Huawei Chairman John Lord and fellow director The Hon John Brumby were inaugural members along with two of Huawei’s global board members Ms Chen Lifang and Mr Jason Li.

About Lance Hockridge

Lance Hockridge served as Managing Director and CEO of Aurizon, Australia’s largest rail freight operator, from 2010 until November 2016. He joined the then QR as CEO in 2007, leading the company through a successful IPO in November 2010. Subsequently he led the renamed Aurizon through a major safety, customer, cultural, operational and financial transformation.

Previously, Lance had experience in the transportation and heavy industrial sectors in Australia and the United States with BHP and BlueScope Steel. At BHP, he was a member of the leadership team that led BlueScope Steel’s successful demerger from BHP and subsequent listing on the ASX. In 2005, Lance was appointed President of BlueScope Steel’s North American operations where he led a major turnaround in safety, production and financial performance.

Lance was a member of the Business Council of Australia’s Efficient Regulation Policy Committee and a regular participant in industry forums on transport infrastructure and reform. He was a member of the Australia-China CEO Roundtable and a member of Q20, the business advisory group promoting Queensland investment as part of the G20 Summit in Brisbane in 2014.

Lance is a leader in the field of diversity. He transformed the female participation rates in Aurizon and established an empowerment partnership with Australian National Committee of United Nations (UN) Women. He has spoken at UN Women business events in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. He has signed, on behalf of Aurizon, the UN’s Women Empowerment Principles. Lance’s contributions in this area were recognised in 2014 with the Australian Human Resource Institute Diversity CEO Champion award and in 2016 with the UN CEO Leadership Award for cultural change and transformation in the workplace.

Lance is currently a private sector member of the Australian Government’s Department of Defence Gender Equality Advisory Board and a founding member of Queensland’s “Male Champions of Change” group that is leading diversity initiatives in the workplace in Queensland. His other commitments include Deputy Chairman of the Queensland Government Domestic and Family Violence Implementation Council and the Chairman of The Salvation Army’s Queensland Advisory Board.