Honor CEO resigns, replaced by former Huawei leader

"The company and the board of directors appreciate and value Mr. Zhao's outstanding contributions throughout his tenure," Honor said in an official statement after the CEO resigned for "personal reasons." In an internal memo published by Chinese media and confirmed by an Honor spokesperson, Mr. Zhao said his decision to step down was related to his health and his plans to rest and recover, and spend more time with his family.

The former CEO called it “the hardest decision I’ve ever made.” The person taking over this position is Jian Li, who joined Honor four years ago and has held various senior management positions.

George Zhao leaves Honor CEO position for personal reasons

According to CNBC, this move was made after Honor planned to conduct an IPO (initial public offering), a plan announced by the company since 2023. Previously, in 2020, Honor separated from "Chinese telecommunications giant" Huawei to avoid US trade sanctions imposed on this brand as well as its "rising like a kite" smartphone business.

During CEO George Zhao’s tenure, Honor has continued to launch new smartphone models, focusing on international markets. He has also directed the brand’s development towards high-end models, including foldable phones, with the vision of taking 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 more than 15% in 2024, according to data from market research firm Counterpoint Research. Outside its home country, the company also grew from less than 1% to 2.3% over the same period.

As for Jian Li, he was one of Huawei's veteran experts, 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, then joining Honor as one of the core members 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