Sabrina Meng Wanzhou’s arrest begs the question, who are the family behind Chinese telecoms giant Huawei?

Apple and Steve Jobs, Microsoft and Bill Gates and Virgin and Richard Branson, people who have all become synonymous with the companies they helped build.

But with the arrest in Canada of Huawei chief financial officer Sabrina Meng Wanzhou, questions are being asked about the reclusive family behind the world’s biggest maker of telecoms network equipment.

Huawei was founded by current CEO Ren Zhengfei, but the former People’s Liberation Army officer notoriously keeps a low profile.

Other than candid shots of Ren using public transport – despite his net worth being over US$3.4 billion – there is little insight into the life of the Huawei CEO.

His army background has sparked concerns over the security of the Huawei network and the company’s potential links to the Chinese government.

Recent media reports cite Washington’s attempt to dissuade allies from using the Chinese smartphone firm.

There are also several theories about the Huawei family tree, and why they all seem to have different names.

One theory, perhaps the most reasonable, suggests Sabrina Meng Wanzhou chose or was given her mother’s maiden name to avoid attention.

Another revolves around pride for the Meng name as Ren’s first wife and Sabrina Meng Wanzhou’s mother, Meng Jun, was the daughter of a former senior official in Sichuan province, Meng Dongbuo.