Huawei smartphone spin-off Honor reshuffles management in wake of CEO’s abrupt departure

The latest departures reflect internal complexities within the company after its organisational overhaul to prepare for a public listing

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Smartphones on display at Honor’s booth at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, February 26, 2024. AFP

Published: 9:00am, 22 Jan 2025

Honor, the spin-off handset brand from Huawei Technologies, implemented further management changes this week after last Friday’s abrupt departure of its CEO, as the company prepares for a public listing amid cutthroat competition in the world’s largest smartphone market.

Following the appointment of Huawei veteran Li Jian last Friday to replace outgoing CEO George Zhao Ming, Honor’s management shake-up continued as its chief marketing officer (CMO) for the China region, Jiang Hairong, also tendered his resignation, according to a report by the China Business Journal on Monday.

The company’s global CMO, Guo Rui, will temporarily assume the China region role as well, according to the report. Further, Honor’s China sales chief Zheng Shubao will be replaced by eastern Jiangsu province’s regional head Chen Haoqian.

Honor confirmed the changes when contacted on Tuesday. “This is a routine adjustment of regional managers,” a company representative said.

A view of Honor’s smartphone factory in Shenzhen. Photo: Handout

The latest departures reflect internal complexities within the company after it underwent an organisational overhaul as part of preparations for an initial public offering (IPO), which was announced in November 2023.