Huawei veteran Ryan Ding Yun, who led two of the company’s major businesses, dies suddenly at age 53
- Ding joined Huawei in 1996, rising through the ranks to become president of the carrier business group and enterprise business group
- His death comes at a time when US sanctions have effectively crippled Huawei’s consumer business, raising the urgency to seek other revenue sources
Ding, born in 1969 and holding a master’s degree from Southeast University in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing, joined Huawei in 1996, rising through the ranks to become president at various departments, including global solution sales and global marketing.
In January, Ding was promoted to president of the enterprise business group, while also serving as president of the carrier business group, putting him in command of two of Huawei’s three major businesses. The carrier business group was the company’s top earner last year, generating more than 281.4 billion yuan (US$39.5 billion) – roughly 44 per cent of the total revenue.
Ding also served as deputy chairman of Huawei’s supervisory board.
In an obituary, Huawei credited Ding for having “worked diligently at Huawei for 26 years and made significant contributions to the company’s growth and development”. It asked its employees to focus on work and “turn grief into strength”.
