Chinese technology firm Huawei has appointed Steven Wu as the new CEO of its South African operation.
Wu, who joined Huawei in 1999, has in over the past decade-and-a-half held a number of senior management positions with the company, including CEO of Huawei Technologies Africa and board director of Huawei European Subsidiary.
Wu will be responsible for the company's day-to-day business operations, ensuring Huawei meets its commitment to deliver the most innovative ICT products and solutions to telecom operators, enterprise customers and mobile phone consumers in SA, says the company.
Addressing the media at the World Economic Forum in Cape Town this week, Wu said SA's ICT industry was poised for strong growth. "It is therefore an exciting time to be in South Africa and lead our business there."
Wu says, as the second largest economy in Africa, SA is an important market for Huawei. "Currently we have around 1 000 employees in South Africa. In the next five years, we will increase the staff in South Africa by 50% to support our fast-growing operations."
With regard to future business strategies, Wu says the company will continue to improve network coverage and quality for South African telecoms operators, and will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to support the deployment of the country's national broadband network.
"For enterprise customers, Huawei will focus on providing customised products and solutions to fit in the specific needs of vertical industries, such as government and public sector, finance, transportation, and energy."
Huawei has been driving its consumer devices in SA more aggressively recently, last year shipping around a million smartphones to SA. In 2015, the company plans to double that figure, it says.
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