Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, announced Patience Wheatcroft, Brian McBride and Claudia Arney as new members of its UK advisory board. The prominent business and industry leaders will advise the company on its localisation strategies in the UK and help it further tap this key market.
Huawei UK first announced Sir Andrew Cahn, former chief executive of the UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) as chairman of its new UK advisory board back in May this year. Huawei UK will consult these new board members for their unparalleled experience in business, telecoms and government relations. They will provide strategic advice on the challenges Huawei is facing in the UK, and help the company to further expand its business locally.
‘‘I’m delighted that Patience Wheatcroft, Brian McBride and Claudia Arney have agreed to join me on the UK advisory board,’’ Sir Andrew Cahn said of the announcement. ‘‘As one of the world’s top telecoms vendors, Huawei has been enjoying rapid growth in the UK which is a key market to the company. I believe that with these three renowned figures, we can build on the trust and respect with which Huawei, as the leading Chinese inward investor in the UK, is held. This is a high quality Advisory Board appropriate for a global multinational like Huawei and will also contribute to greater transparency and openness for Huawei in the UK.’’
Victor Zhang, CEO of Huawei UK commented: ‘‘On behalf of the company and 600 Huawei staff in the UK, I’d like to give the warmest welcome to the new members of our UK advisory board. Localisation, especially collaborating with local experts, has always been the essence of our success. I trust the Huawei UK advisory board will offer valuable strategic counsel to assist Huawei’s growth, helping senior managers to identify the future leadership needs of the business, and advising the company on building a positive reputation and improved public profile.’’
Huawei has been investing in the UK for ten years and is currently working with all major UK telecoms operators. The company is expecting to double its workforce to over 1,000 in the next three years with the aim of expanding its share in the enterprise and device markets.
About Baroness Wheatcroft
Patience Wheatcroft is one of the most experienced and best connected figures in business and financial media. She was business editor at The Times for nine years, has edited The Sunday Telegraph and was until recently editor-in-chief of the Wall Street Journal Europe.
Her business coverage has frequently spilled over into government matters, and she is well versed in the workings of Westminster and Whitehall. This experience has only been strengthened by her appointment in 2010 to the House of Lords as a Conservative working peer.
About Brian McBride
Brian McBride has 25 years experience in the IT and telecom industries. He retired from Amazon.co.uk in Sept 2011 after working for the company since 2006 as Managing Director. He began his career with Xerox and subsequently worked at IBM, Crosfield Electronics, Madge Networks, Lucent, Dell Computers as Vice President, Northern Europe and as Managing Director of T-Mobile (UK).
Brian is Chairman of MX Data. He is also a Senior NED at Computacenter PLC, NED at Monitise PLC, a company specialising in mobile payments infrastructure. In addition, Brian is a Venture Partner (part-time) with Scottish Equity Partners, and is a trustee of In Kind Direct, a charity which redirects surplus products to the needy. He has been a Non-Executive Director of Celtic Football Club PLC, SThree PLC, and the British Retail Consortium and is a former chairman of Virgin Mobile.
About Claudia Arney
Claudia Arney is a non-executive director with a broad range of experience across both the public and private sectors. She has worked at the Financial Times, Goldman Sachs and HM Treasury before embarking on a portfolio career.
Claudia currently holds non-executive directorships at both listed companies and public bodies.
