Chinese software firm Yonyou picks former senior SAP executive as new president

Huang Chenhong is the latest multinational veteran to join China’s tech sector, as these firms scale back operations on the mainland

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Huang Chenhong, former global executive vice-president at German firm SAP, is expected to help boost business for Yonyou Network Technology. Photo: Handout

Published: 5:30pm, 10 Jan 2025

Chinese enterprise software company Yonyou Network Technology has named Huang Chenhong – former global executive vice-president at German rival SAP – its new president, as the mainland’s tech sector scoops up talent from multinational firms that are scaling back operations in the country.

Beijing-based Yonyou, a leading enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and cloud services provider in China, said in a statement that Huang’s leadership would help the company “capture strategic opportunities in digital transformation, the rise of domestic technology solutions and the global expansion of Chinese enterprises”.

Huang, who had also served as president of SAP Greater China, left the German firm last October after the enterprise software giant announced plans to restructure its operations in the region. That entailed a merger of SAP’s Greater China business and Asia-Pacific and Japan unit to form a new Asia-Pacific regional operation from January 1 this year.

Yonyou’s appointment of Huang reflects a growing trend in China’s technology industry, where domestic companies recruit highly experienced executives from multinational firms to bolster their industry expertise.

Earlier this month, Hua Hong Semiconductor – China’s second-largest chip foundry – signed up ex-Intel global vice-president Bai Peng to a three-year contract as its new president, while Beijing Electronic Digital and Intelligence named former IBM Greater China chief technology officer Xie Dong in a similar role in the state-owned cloud computing firm.

Yonyou Network Technology last year was ranked by tech research firm Gartner as one of the world’s top-10 enterprise resource planning software providers. Photo: Shutterstock

Huang also previously served as chairman and president of Dell Greater China, president for Greater China at APC by Schneider Electric, a manufacturer of uninterruptible power supplies, and president at network technology firm Tellabs China. He earned his PhD in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University in the US, after receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Fudan University in Shanghai.