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Huawei’s Richard Yu said to make switch from CEO to chairman of Chinese tech giant’s consumer business group

  • Richard Yu will be replaced as chief executive at Huawei’s consumer business group by He Gang, who is currently the unit’s chief operating officer
  • Yu remains chairman of Huawei’s Intelligent Automotive Solution business unit

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Veteran Huawei Technologies executive Richard Yu Chengdong led the company’s march to become the world’s biggest smartphone vendor in the second quarter of 2020, months after the firm was blacklisted by the US government. Photo: EPA-EFE
Veteran Huawei Technologies executive Richard Yu Chengdong is taking on the role of chairman at the company’s consumer business group after more than 12 years as its head, according to a local media report, as the US-sanctioned telecommunications equipment giant regains lost ground in China’s smartphone market and doubles down on electric vehicle (EV) systems.
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Yu, 54, will be replaced as chief executive at Huawei’s consumer business group by He Gang, who is currently the unit’s chief operating officer, according to a report on Wednesday by Chinese digital news outlet The Paper.

Huawei declined to comment.

A review of Yu’s profile page on Huawei’s official website on Wednesday showed that his role at the consumer business group has not been updated. He remains chairman of Huawei’s Intelligent Automotive Solution business unit.

Richard Yu Chengdong, the chairman of Huawei Technologies’ Intelligent Automotive Solution business unit, introduces the new Aito M9 electric sport utility vehicle from carmaker Seres Group at a launch event in tech hub Shenzhen, in southern Guangdong province, on December 26, 2023. Photo: Weibo
Richard Yu Chengdong, the chairman of Huawei Technologies’ Intelligent Automotive Solution business unit, introduces the new Aito M9 electric sport utility vehicle from carmaker Seres Group at a launch event in tech hub Shenzhen, in southern Guangdong province, on December 26, 2023. Photo: Weibo
The leadership reshuffle at Huawei’s consumer business group reflects the privately held company’s efforts to build up its senior executive bench, following chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou’s appointment as deputy chairwoman in 2018 and rotating chairwoman in 2023.
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The highly outspoken Yu, whose off-the-cuff comments have earned him the nickname “Big Mouth Yu” from Chinese internet users, led Huawei’s march to wrest the crown of the world’s biggest smartphone vendor from Samsung Electronics in the second quarter of 2020, several months after the Shenzhen-based firm was blacklisted by the US government.
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