By Juro Osawa
Huawei Technologies Co. said Monday that it has appointed John
Browne, former chief executive of BP PLC, as the chairman of its
U.K. board, a move that highlights the Chinese telecommunications
equipment maker's deeper involvement in U.K. business circles.
Shenzhen-based Huawei said it has also appointed two other
independent directors for its U.K. board: UBM PLC Chairman Helen
Alexander and Andrew Cahn, former chief executive of the U.K. Trade
and Investment government department, who headed Huawei U.K.'s
advisory board from 2011 to 2014.
Over the past few years, Huawei has been trying to strengthen
its ties to the U.K., where it already sells equipment to major
clients like Vodafone Group PLC. In 2012, Huawei said it would
spend $2 billion over the next five years on research and
development and component procurement in the U.K. The company has
built a new R&D center there, hiring local engineers.
While Huawei is expanding in the U.K., the company continues to
face challenges in the U.S., where a 2012 congressional report
recommended U.S. telecom carriers to avoid using the Chinese
company's networking gear due to alleged national security risks.
Huawei has denied the allegations.
Write to Juro Osawa at juro.osawa@wsj.com
Access Investor Kit for Huawei Technology Co. Ltd.
Visit
http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=CNE100000WQ5
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires