Lenovo makes key hires for growth

Lenovo is entering its next phase as a consumer electronics market leader by bolstering support for its senior management.

The world's second-largest supplier of personal computers last week named Jerry Yang, the co-founder and former CEO of Yahoo, as a "board observer".

Yang Yuanqing, the chairman and chief executive of Lenovo, said: "Jerry's appointment as an observer to our board furthers Lenovo's reputation as a transparent international company."

That followed the addition of Tudor Brown as a non-executive director to Lenovo's roster of seasoned veterans. Brown is one of the founders of ARM, the major British semiconductor design company.

"We believe that they will add a great deal to our strategic thinking, long-term direction and, ultimately, our ability to achieve our aspirations in the PC plus era," Lenovo's Yang said.

Lenovo described this "PC plus era" as an expansion of devices used by consumers and companies to access the internet. For the company, these included smartphones, media tablets, online-ready "smart" television and "smart" tables.