Honor's CEO resigns, replaced by a former Huawei executive.

"The company and its leadership team deeply appreciate Mr. Zhao's outstanding contributions throughout his tenure," Honor announced in an official statement following news of its CEO's resignation due to "personal reasons." In an internal memo released by Chinese media and confirmed by an Honor spokesperson, Mr. Zhao stated that his decision to resign was related to health issues, a plan for rest and recovery, and a desire to spend more time with his family.

The former CEO described this as "the hardest decision I've ever made." Replacing Mr. Zhao is Jian Li, who has joined Honor four years ago and has held various senior management positions.

George Zhao resigned as CEO of Honor for personal reasons.

According to CNBC, this move comes after Honor planned an IPO (initial public offering), a plan the company announced in 2023. Prior to that, in 2020, Honor spun off from Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei to avoid US trade sanctions on the brand and its booming smartphone business.

Throughout CEO George Zhao's tenure, Honor consistently launched new smartphone models, focusing on international markets. He also steered the brand's development towards high-end devices, including foldable phones, with the vision of expanding the company beyond China and challenging brands like Samsung and Apple.

As a result, Honor's market share in China increased from 9.8% in 2020 to over 15% in 2024, according to data from market research firm Counterpoint Research. Outside of its home country, the company also achieved growth from under 1% to 2.3% over the same period.

Regarding Jian Li, he was a veteran expert at Huawei, joining the group in 2001 and being appointed to the company's Supervisory Board in 2017. He was responsible for managing Huawei's global strategy and operations before leaving the company in 2020-2021, and subsequently joined Honor as a core member of the human resources (HR) management team.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ceo-honor-tu-chuc-nguoi-thay-the-la-cuu-lanh-dao-huawei-185250120114649553.htm