Huawei poaches top Samsung executive
Andy Ho becomes vice president of Chinese tech firm’s consumer business group in greater China
A top Samsung executive has left the company to join Huawei Technologies, in a latest move by the Chinese tech giant to poach top talent from its overseas rivals.
The world’s third-largest smartphone vendor after Samsung and Apple, Huawei said on Tuesday it had appointed Andy Ho as vice president of its consumer business group in the Greater China region. Ho was previously senior vice president for Samsung Mobile, covering the same region.
Anxious to close the gap on Apple and Samsung, Huawei has been on the hunt globally over the past couple of years for experienced mobile industry experts.
Richard Yu, chief executive of its consumer business group, boldly predicted earlier this year that his company planned to overtake Apple as the world’s second-biggest smartphone player within three years, and leapfrog Samsung by 2021.
“Our global strategy and tremendous development potential provide a great platform for the most outstanding management talents in the industry.
“I am confident Andy Ho can make continuous contribution to the business development of the group,” said Yu on Wednesday.
Ho has also held leading positions at Nokia and Samsung Electronics, and has 25 years’ experience in sales and management. He was sales director for Nokia Mobile in the mainland between 1996 and 2012.
Huawei hired Abigail Sarah Brody in October, a former creative director at Apple, who worked on the user interface of the first iPhone.
In 2012, Yang Zhe, a former China chief marketing officer with Samsung mobile phones in China, became China CMO of Huawei’s consumer business.
Industry figures suggest Huawei is set to be the fastest-growing major smartphone vendor this year, after its shipments grew 25 per cent to 60.56 million units in the first six months.
The company plans to open 15,000 new retail stores around the world this year, and has a target of 140 million smartphone sales. Its premium-priced models are targeted directly at Apple’s iPhones and Samsung’s Galaxy series.
