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Ben Kwok

Pacific Century CyberWorks has lost its second telecommunications veteran in a few weeks with the resignation of chief operating officer William Cheung Kam-hung.

Mr Cheung, who served the former Cable & Wireless HKT for more than 30 years, joins a number of senior HKT executives that have chosen to leave CyberWorks following the merger between the two companies in August 2000.

Only former HKT chief executive, now CyberWorks deputy chairman, Linus Cheung Wing-lam remains on the board of directors from the old telecoms monopoly.

Yesterday, CyberWorks announced Mike Butcher, a former Lucent Technologies executive, would replace Mr Cheung as chief operating officer with immediate effect.

CyberWorks said Mr Cheung would remain with the company for a transitional period. It said he had decided to step down to spend more time with his family.

Mr Cheung follows outgoing finance director David Prince, who first joined HKT in 1971 and resigned in March. Mr Prince will rejoin his family in Britain at the end of July.

Other key HKT executives to have quit CyberWorks since the merger include former chief operating officer Norman Yuen Kee-tong, who left to become deputy managing director of Citic Pacific, and former international director Keith Harrison, who retired.

'This marks the end of the old HKT generation,' said one executive from a rival operator.

'The company management has kept changing and a high-flier could suddenly turn into a dog.'

The latest resignation took the market by surprise.

Mr Cheung, who was in charge of the profitable fixed-line operation and the growing system integration business in China, decided to leave his position after taking over from Mr Yuen a year ago.

Someone close to Mr Cheung said: 'I honestly believed William had given his best shot, but the company dynamics have been changing pretty fast, which made his job very difficult.'

CyberWorks has been searching for new directions. Under the leadership of chairman Richard Li Tzar-kai, the company has de-emphasised its Internet investments.

In pursuit of a growth engine, CyberWorks hopes its system integration business can expand and generate half its revenue from China in the next few years.

CyberWorks yesterday said Mr Butcher would be in charge of leading the company in the 'next stage of development as an integrated information technology and telecommunications company'.

'[His] unique experience and background in system integration solutions and services combined with telecommunications, significantly strengthens the management team of PCCW for the next stage of development and growth of the company,' Mr Li said.

Mr Butcher has 30 years experience in the information technology business, serving as president of Lucent International and Asia-Pacific from 1997 until last year.

Before that, he was president of Electronic Data System in Australia and New Zealand for four years.

Mr Butcher was approached by CyberWorks after an extensive international search launched last year. Press reports yesterday suggested that Mr Butcher could eventually succeed Mr Li as chief executive.

Asked if Mr Butcher might ultimately become chief executive, a CyberWorks company spokesman said: 'Mr Butcher has been appointed as COO.'

Neither Mr Butcher nor Mr Cheung could be reached for comment yesterday.



Veteran's resignation a surprise for market