Chinese ICT giant Huawei, which has recently been making huge strides in the South African market, has appointed a new CEO for the local subsidiary.
Wilson Liu, who joined Huawei in 2000 and has held a number of senior management positions with the company – including CEO for both Huawei Oman and Huawei United Arab Emirates – will take up the reins of Huawei South Africa with immediate effect.
The company says that Liu’s appointment underscores its ongoing commitment to being a strategic partner in helping to build and serve South Africa’s growing ICT industry.
As CEO, it adds, Liu will be responsible for the company’s day-to-day business operations and ensuring that Huawei meets its commitment to deliver innovative, affordable, and customised ICT products and solutions that meet the dynamic needs of customers and end-users in South Africa.
He will also drive a market development strategy for South Africa’s rapidly changing local market ecosystem which will continue to expand Huawei’s three core Business Groups: carrier networks, enterprise business products and solutions and consumer devices.
“South Africa’s ICT industry is poised for strong growth so it is an exciting time to be in South Africa and I am thrilled with the opportunity to lead our business efforts here,” says Liu.
“As the largest economy in the region, South Africa is an important, strategic market for Huawei because we believe that our growth in this market is intertwined with the overall sustainable development of a region that holds so much potential for ICT innovation and growth.
“We recognise the integral role that ICT plays in driving socioeconomic development and enriching people’s daily lives which is why we are committed to being a long-term investor in South Africa through our contributions to job creation, knowledge transfers, local innovation and local talent development,” he adds.
Liu says the company is committed to contributing towards the reduction of unemployment and the alleviation of poverty in the region, through supporting skills development and training initiatives.
While the focus is on improving the resources of schools and education in the rural and semi-rural areas, Huawei also invests in special needs schools which are often marginalised due to limited resources.
Huawei’s partnership with Khulisani to launch a mobile Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Training Centre Project, providing computer skills training to schools for underprivileged, disabled children, in the south of Johannesburg is just one example of Huawei’s Corporate Social Investment (CSI) projects in South Africa.
“In the past 15 years Huawei has established an excellent track record with local operators, vendors and other partners, and our commitment is not only to support the robust growth of South Africa’s ICT industry, but to also contribute to long-term ICT development objectives in the areas of mobile, connectivity and broadband to enable South African consumers to reap the benefits of enriched communications,” Liu says.