Chinese smartphone giant Honor’s long-standing CEO George Zhao Ming has resigned for personal reasons, according to the company, as veteran Huawei Technologies CEO Li Jian takes the helm of the company amid preparations to go public .
In an announcement on Friday, Honor’s board of directors recognized Zhao’s “outstanding contributions to the company during his tenure” and expected his successor Li would “continue to deliver innovative products and experiences to consumers around the world.”
Zhao, who had led Honor since it was spun off from Huawei in 2020, described stepping down from the company as the most difficult decision he has ever made, according to his parting statement on the company’s internal online forum, which was seen by the South China Morning Mail.
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“For the past decade, Honor has been everything in my life,” wrote Zhao, who became head of Honor in 2015, when it was still Huawei’s budget smartphone arm. “From the V40 model, new Honor [post spin-off] went through lows…and also made a big leap forward in both the Chinese and foreign markets.”
Still, he pointed out that the long hours and intense work had taken a toll on his health. He added that he would like to recover, read and spend more time with his family.
Zhao expressed his gratitude to the Honor team, noting that over the past four years, more than 10,000 people have joined the Shenzhen-based company. He said he looks forward to the company’s continued success in 2025.
Veteran Huawei Technologies CEO Li Jian will take over as CEO of Chinese smartphone giant Honor. Photo: Handout alt=Veteran Li Jian, director of Huawei Technologies, becomes CEO of the Chinese smartphone giant Honor. Photo: Handout>
According to a report by research firm Canalys, Honor was the fifth largest smartphone supplier in China last year, with a market share of 15 percent. It was ranked behind Vivo, Huawei, Apple and Oppo.
The Chinese smartphone maker also surpassed Samsung Electronics to become the No. 1 foldable phone maker in Western Europe in the second quarter of last year, according to data from Counterpoint Research.
But Honor’s leadership change could add a degree of uncertainty to the company’s preparations for an initial public offering (IPO), a move the company’s board first announced in November 2023.