Corporate Governance Report

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Corporate Governance Report Huawei Turkey employees rafting on Melen River, Düzce, Turkey 101 Shareholders Corporate 102 The Shareholders' Meeting and the Representatives' Commission Governance 102 Board of Directors and Committees 107 Supervisory Board Report 107 Rotating CEOs 108 Members of the Board of Directors, the Supervisory Board, and the BOD Committees 114 Independent Auditor 114 Business Structure 115 Improving the Management System 117 Improving the Internal Control System By staying customer-centric and inspiring dedication, we have sustained long-term growth by continuously improving our corporate governance structure, organizations, processes, and appraisal systems. Shareholders’ Meeting Board of Directors Independent Auditor Supervisory Board Executive Committee Human Resources Strategy & Finance Committee Development Audit Committee Committee Committee CEO/Rotating CEOs Group Functions Corporate Strategy Cyber Security & Human Resources Finance Quality, BP & IT Development Marketing User Privacy Protection Joint Committee Engineering Ethics & PR & GR Legal Affairs Internal Audit of Regions Inspection Compliance 2012 Laboratories Chief Supply Chain Officer (Supply Chain, Purchase, Products & Carrier Enterprise Consumer Manufacturing) Solutions BG BG BG Huawei University Huawei Internal Service Regional Organizations (Regions and Representative Offices) Shareholders Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd. (the "Company" or "Huawei") is a private company wholly owned by its employees. Huawei's shareholders are the Union of Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd. (the "Union") and Mr. Ren Zhengfei. Through the Union, the company implements an Employee Shareholding Scheme (the "Scheme"), which involved 79,563 employees as of December 31, 2015. The Scheme effectively aligns employee contributions with the company's long-term development, fostering Huawei's continued success. Mr. Ren Zhengfei is the individual shareholder of the Company and also participates in the Scheme. As of December 31, 2015, Mr. Ren's investment accounts for nearly 1.4% of the Company's total share capital. 101 The Shareholders' Meeting and the Board of Directors and Committees Representatives' Commission The Board of Directors (BOD) is the decision-making The Shareholders' Meeting is the highest authority body for corporate strategy and management. The BOD within the Company, and comprises two shareholders: guides and oversees the overall business operations the Union and Mr. Ren Zhengfei. and makes decisions on significant issues regarding strategy and operations. The BOD has established the The Company's major issues, which involve the Human Resources Committee, the Finance Committee, decisions of the Union as a shareholder of the the Strategy & Development Committee, and the Audit Company, shall be primarily reviewed and decided on Committee to assist and support BOD operations. by the Representatives' Commission (the "Commission"). The main responsibilities of the BOD are to: The Commission consists of all representatives of ■ Decide on the company's strategic directions; and shareholding employees ("Representatives") and approve and monitor the execution of the company's exercises rights on behalf of all shareholding employees. medium-to-long-term development plan. In 2015, the Commission held one meeting, at which it approved proposals on annual profit distribution and ■ Provide advice and guidance to management capital increases. regarding significant issues, including major crises and market changes. The Representatives and Alternate Representatives are ■ Review the company's business operations, elected by the active shareholding employees with organization, and processes; and approve a term of five years. In the event that there is a major organizational restructurings, business vacancy in the body of Representatives, the Alternate transformations, and process transformations. Representatives shall take up the vacancy in a ■ Approve the company's major financial policies, predetermined sequence. financial arrangements, and business transactions. ■ Approve the company's operating results, financial At present, current members of the Commission are results, and financial statements. Ms. Sun Yafang, Mr. Guo Ping, Mr. Xu Zhijun, Mr. Hu ■ Establish the company's monitoring mechanisms and Houkun, Mr. Ren Zhengfei, Mr. Xu Wenwei, Mr. Li Jie, oversee their execution. Mr. Ding Yun, Ms. Meng Wanzhou, Ms. Chen Lifang, Mr. Wan Biao, Mr. Zhang Ping'an, Mr. Yu Chengdong, ■ Establish the company's governance structure and Mr. Liang Hua, Mr. Ren Shulu, Mr. Tian Feng, Mr. organize its optimization and deployment. Deng Biao, Mr. Zhou Daiqi, Mr. Cai Liqun, Mr. Jiang ■ Decide on the selection, appraisal, and compensation Xisheng, Mr. Yin Xuquan, Mr. Yao Fuhai, Mr. Zha Jun, of the Chief Executive Officer; and approve the Mr. Li Yingtao, Ms. Ji Ping, Mr. Tao Jingwen, Mr. Zhang appointment and compensation of other members Shunmao, Mr. Ding Shaohua, Mr. Li Jin'ge, Mr. Wang of senior management. Shengli, Mr. Wang Kexiang, Mr. Lv Ke, Mr. Yang Kaijun, ■ Approve the corporate-level HR planning and major Mr. Jiang Yafei, Ms. He Tingbo, Mr. Sun Ming, Mr. Wu HR policies. Kunhong, Mr. Zhao Yong, Ms. Yan Weimin, Mr. Tang Xiaoming, Mr. Wang Jiading, Mr. Wei Chengmin, Mr. In 2015, the BOD held 10 meetings. At the meetings, Xiong Lening, Mr. Li Shanlin, Mr. Xu Chi, Mr. Song the BOD reviewed and approved matters such as the Liuping, Mr. Zhou Hong, Ms. Chen Jun, Mr. Hui Chun, company's medium-to-long-term development plan, Mr. Peng Zhongyang, and Mr. Li Gang. annual business plan and budget, BOD committee members and operations, and compensation and incentives. 102 Currently, the BOD has 17 members, who were elected ■ Set policies for and provide guidance on learning by all Representatives. and development. ■ Set policies for employee discipline and oversee ■ Chairwoman: Ms. Sun Yafang. disciplinary action for major violations. ■ Deputy Chairmen: Mr. Guo Ping, Mr. Xu Zhijun, Mr. ■ Set policies for and provide guidance on health and Hu Houkun, and Mr. Ren Zhengfei. safety. ■ Executive Directors: Mr. Xu Wenwei, Mr. Li Jie, Mr. ■ Manage HR strategic planning and key HR Ding Yun, and Ms. Meng Wanzhou. transformation initiatives. ■ Directors: Ms. Chen Lifang, Mr. Wan Biao, Mr. Zhang The HRC holds monthly meetings. Business executives, Ping'an, Mr. Yu Chengdong, Mr. Li Yingtao, Mr. Li HR executives from different departments, and various Jin'ge, Ms. He Tingbo, and Mr. Wang Shengli. experts are invited to attend as non-voting participants. The BOD has established the Executive Committee, The committee met 12 times in 2015, and achieved its which acts as the executive body of the BOD while it annual objectives in managing HR strategy, developing is adjourned. Members of the Executive Committee major HR policies, making key HR decisions, and include Mr. Guo Ping, Mr. Xu Zhijun, Mr. Hu Houkun, overseeing policy execution. Specific initiatives are as Mr. Xu Wenwei, Mr. Li Jie, Mr. Ding Yun, and Ms. Meng follows: Wanzhou. In 2015, the Executive Committee held 12 meetings. ■ Effectively examined internal and external developments in HR management; formulated the Human Resources Committee company's HR Strategy Guide based on the global development needs of multiple business groups, The Human Resources Committee (HRC) manages and which provided effective guidance to all departments optimizes core corporate elements such as organization, on HR strategic planning; and conducted special talent, incentives, and culture. It operates under the BOD research on key strategic issues regarding Huawei's to develop, determine, and oversee the implementation future-oriented HR management. of key policies and transformation initiatives relating ■ Continuously studied and identified key issues that to HR management. The committee aligns HR policies impacted Huawei's organizational operations; began with the company's HR management philosophy and to optimize the operations of relevant organizations; core concepts to ensure policy consistency. These continuously optimized the workforce budget policies also reflect the business characteristics and management mechanism to increase its flexibility; management models of departments at all levels to and explored future-oriented methods of managing support business development. the size of the workforce. The main responsibilities of the HRC are to: ■ Implemented different management initiatives ■ Manage HR initiatives for key managers and for different groups of employees in terms of talent (including succession planning, deployment, Competency & Qualification (C&Q), compensation, appointments/removals, performance appraisals, and incentives to inspire passion across the compensation, and incentives). organization; widened the gap in incentives between different groups of employees to boost passion ■ Set policies for incentives, benefits, the compensation among a larger number of outstanding employees; structure, and job matching. continuously optimized HR policies for hardship ■ Set policies for organizational development and regions to help effectively implement the company's optimization; and manage HR budgets and staffing policy of providing more incentives to dedicated for each budgetary unit. employees. 103 ■ Continuously optimized the internal talent The main responsibilities of the FC are to: management framework and employed different ■ Align resources with business needs based on methods when managing different groups of the company's resources and resource acquisition employees;
Recommended publications
  • Anurag Sharma | 1 © Vivekananda International Foundation Published in 2021 by Vivekananda International Foundation
    Anurag Sharma | 1 © Vivekananda International Foundation Published in 2021 by Vivekananda International Foundation 3, San Martin Marg | Chanakyapuri | New Delhi - 110021 Tel: 011-24121764 | Fax: 011-66173415 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.vifindia.org Follow us on Twitter | @vifindia Facebook | /vifindia All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. Anurag Sharma is a Research Associate at Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF). He has completed MPhil in Politics and International Relations on ‘International Security’ at the Dublin City University in Ireland, in 2018. His thesis is titled as “The Islamic State Foreign Fighter Phenomenon and the Jihadi Threat to India”. Anurag’s main research interests are terrorism and the Internet, Cybersecurity, Countering Violent Extremism/Online (CVE), Radicalisation, Counter-terrorism and Foreign (Terrorist) Fighters. Prior to joining the Vivekananda International Foundation, Anurag was employed as a Research Assistant at Institute for Conflict Management. As International affiliations, he is a Junior Researcher at TSAS (The Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security, And Society) in Canada; and an Affiliate Member with AVERT (Addressing Violent Extremism and Radicalisation to Terrorism) Research Network in Australia. Anurag Sharma has an MSc in Information Security and Computer Crime, major in Computer Forensic from University of Glamorgan (now University of South Wales) in United Kingdom and has an online certificate in ‘Terrorism and Counterterrorism’ from Leiden University in the Netherlands, and an online certificate in ‘Understanding Terrorism and the Terrorist Threat’ from the University of Maryland, the United States.
    [Show full text]
  • 2017 Annual Report
    Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd. 2017 Annual Report Bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world Who is Huawei? Founded in 1987, Huawei is a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider. We provide telecom carriers, enterprises, and consumers with competitive ICT solutions, products, and services. We work in more than 170 countries and regions, serving over one-third of the world’s population. Among our 180,000 employees, there are more than 160 different nationalities with a localization rate of almost 70%. What do we offer the world? We create value for our customers. Together with telecom carriers, Huawei has built more than 1,500 networks, helping connect over one-third of the world’s population. Together with our partners, we serve government and public utilities, as well as enterprise customers in sectors like finance, energy, transportation, and manufacturing. We help organizations and industries go digital by providing them with open, flexible, and secure ICT infrastructure platforms that promote greater synergy between devices, networks, and the cloud. We also provide enterprise customers with stable, reliable, and secure cloud services that evolve with their needs. With our smartphones and other smart devices, we are improving people’s digital experience in work, life, and entertainment. We promote industry development. Huawei advocates openness, collaboration, and shared success. Through joint innovation with our customers, partners, and peers, we are expanding the value of information and communications technology in service of a more robust and symbiotic industry ecosystem. Huawei is an active member of more than 360 standards organizations, industry alliances, and open source communities, where we work together on mainstream standards and lay the foundation for shared success.
    [Show full text]
  • White Collar Defense & Investigations Arrest of Executive of Leading
    White Collar Defense & Investigations DECEMBER 2018 • NO. 3 Arrest of Executive of Leading Chinese Telecom Firm in Canada Evidences DOJ’s Far-Reaching Tools to Effectuate Recently Announced Initiative The recent arrest of a top executive of a Chinese company follows the U.S. Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) newly announced “China Initiative.” The initiative consists of a task force aimed at identifying suspected Chinese trade theft cases for investigation and enforcement. The arrest is a bold move by the U.S. government and one that reinforces DOJ’s commitment to enforcing U.S. law against Chinese companies and executives. On December 1, 2018, Meng Wanzhou, the CFO of Chinese Act (“FCPA”) against Chinese companies that compete telecommunications company Huawei Technologies Co., against U.S. companies as a goal. Ltd., was arrested for extradition to the U.S. while switching planes in Canada. Ms. Meng is the eldest daughter of Ms. Meng’s arrest follows reports that Huawei has been Huawei’s founder, Ren Zhengfei. Huawei confirmed that Ms. under investigation by multiple U.S. government agencies. Meng faces prosecution in the Eastern District of New York. In 2012, a congressional report raised red flags about The charges against Ms. Meng were “unspecified” at the security risks posed by Huawei equipment. In 2016, the time of her arrest. U.S. Department of Commerce issued subpoenas to Huawei related to potential export law violations and later that The arrest comes a month after the DOJ announced the year, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign new “China Initiative” targeting Chinese companies and Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued a subpoena about a related individuals for unfair Chinese practices related to technology sanctions investigation.
    [Show full text]
  • Canadian Views on China from Ambivalence to Distrust Canadian Views on China: from Ambivalence to Distrust
    Research Paper Roland Paris US and the Americas Programme | July 2020 Canadian Views on China From Ambivalence to Distrust Canadian Views on China: From Ambivalence to Distrust Summary • Public opinion surveys in Canada indicate that attitudes towards China have hardened dramatically since the two countries became locked in a diplomatic dispute in late 2018. Whereas public views of China had long been ambivalent, they are now strongly negative. • Hardened Canadian attitudes are likely to persist, even if the current dispute ends. The two countries appear to have entered a new, warier phase in their relationship. A return to the status quo ante in bilateral relations is unlikely. • China’s detention of two Canadian citizens and its trade actions against Canada have startled the country. So has the Trump administration’s mercurial treatment of Canada and other US allies. These developments have highlighted risks that Canada faces in a world of intensified geopolitical rivalry, where Canada may be subject to direct forms of great-power coercion. • Although managing the current dispute with China is important, Canadian leaders understand that maintaining productive relations with the US and reliable access to its market is a vital national interest. Canada is not ‘neutral’ in the growing rivalry between the US and China. It will align with the US, but it will also seek to prevent tensions with China from escalating. 1 | Chatham House Canadian Views on China: From Ambivalence to Distrust Introduction China’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis, including its apparent suppression of information about the initial outbreak in Wuhan, has produced a backlash against Beijing in several countries.1 For many Canadians, however, these developments have reinforced existing misgivings.
    [Show full text]
  • Issues Paper: Reining in China's Technology Giants
    Mapping China’s Technology Giants Reining in China’s technology giants Fergus Ryan, Audrey Fritz and Daria Impiombato S OF AS AR PI E S Y T Y R T A T N E E G Y W T Issues paper 2 0 1 01 - 20 2 Report No. 46/2021 About the authors Fergus Ryan is an analyst with ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre. Audrey Fritz is a researcher with ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre. Daria Impiombato is a researcher with ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre Acknowledgements Thank you to Danielle Cave, Cheryl Yu and Elena Yi-Ching Ho for all of their work on this project. We would like to also thank our external peer reviewers, Elliott Zaagman and Peter Cai. We’re also grateful for the valuable comments and assistance provided by Michael Shoebridge and Fergus Hanson. This research report forms part of Mapping China’s Technology Giants, a multi-year project mapping and analysing the overseas expansion of key Chinese technology companies. This project seeks to: (1) Analyse the global expansion of a key sample of China’s tech giants by mapping their major points of overseas presence, and (2) Provide the public with analysis of the governance structures and party-state politics in which these companies have emerged, and are deeply entwined. The Mapping China’s Technology Giants project is produced by researchers at ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre. The re-launch of this project, and associated research, was funded with a US$270,000 grant from the US State Department.
    [Show full text]
  • Heroes Are Forged, Not Born
    Aug. 2019 Sep. 2019 Heroes are forged, not born. During World War II, the famous IL-2 kept flying even after being riddled by anti-aircraft shells and machine-gun fire from other planes. Although badly damaged, it finally made its way back home. Contents August 2019 01. Ren Zhengfei's Interview with Sky News 01 02. Ren Zhengfei's Interview with The Associated Press 43 03. David Wang's Interview with Sky News 76 04. Eric Xu's Media Roundtable at the Ascend 910 and 84 MindSpore Launch 05. Guo Ping's Irish Media Roundtable 107 06. Eric Xu's Interview with Handelsblatt 135 07. Eric Xu's Speech at the Ascend 910 and MindSpore Launch 155 08. David Wang's Speech at the World Artificial Intelligence 164 Conference September 2019 09. Ren Zhengfei's Interview with The New York Times 176 10. Ren Zhengfei's Interview with The Economist 198 11. Ren Zhengfei's Interview with Fortune 227 12. A Coffee with Ren II: Innovation, Rules & Trust 248 13. Eric Xu's Interview with Bilanz 309 14. Catherine Chen's Interview with France 5 331 15. Guo Ping's UK Media Roundtable 355 16. Liang Hua's Meeting with Guests at China-Germany-USA 378 Media Forum 17. Eric Xu's Speech at Swiss Digital Initiative 402 18. William Xu's Speech at Huawei Asia-Pacific Innovation 408 Day 2019 19. Ken Hu's Speech at Huawei Connect 2019 420 20. Ken Hu's Opening Speech at the TECH4ALL Summit 435 Ren Zhengfei's Interview with Sky News Ren Zhengfei's Interview with Sky News August 15, 2019 Shenzhen, China 01 Ren Zhengfei's Interview with Sky News Tom Cheshire, Asia Correspondent, Sky News : Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Huawei Founder Says Company Would Not Share User Secrets (Update) 15 January 2019, by Joe Mcdonald
    Huawei founder says company would not share user secrets (Update) 15 January 2019, by Joe Mcdonald Huawei is China's first global tech brand. The United States, Australia, Japan and some other governments have imposed curbs on use of its technology over such concerns. "We would definitely say no to such a request," said Ren when asked how the company would respond to a government demand for confidential information about a foreign buyer of its telecom technology. Ren said neither he nor the company have ever received a government request for "improper information" about anyone. Ren Zhengfei, founder and CEO of Huawei, gestures Asked whether Huawei would challenge such an during a round table meeting with the media in order in court, Ren chuckled and said it would be Shenzhen city, south China's Guangdong province, up to Chinese authorities to "file litigation." Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. The founder of network gear and smart phone supplier Huawei Technologies said the Huawei is facing heightened scrutiny as phone tech giant would reject requests from the Chinese carriers prepare to roll out fifth-generation government to disclose confidential information about its technology in which Huawei is a leading competitor. customers. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu) 5G is designed to support a vast expansion of networks to serve medical devices, self-driving cars and other technology. That increases the cost of potential security failures and has prompted The founder of China's Huawei, the world's biggest governments increasingly to treat telecoms supplier of network gear to phone and internet communications networks as strategic assets.
    [Show full text]
  • 2018 Annual Report
    Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd. 2018 Annual Report Bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world Who is Huawei? Founded in 1987, Huawei is a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider. We are committed to bringing digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. We have nearly 188,000 employees, and we operate in more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than three billion people around the world. Who owns Huawei? Huawei is a private company wholly owned by its employees. Through the Union of Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd., we implement an Employee Shareholding Scheme that involves 96,768 employee shareholders. This scheme is limited to employees. No government agency or outside organization holds shares in Huawei. Who controls and manages Huawei? Huawei has a sound and effective corporate governance system. Shareholding employees elect 115 representatives to form the Representatives’ Commission. This Representatives’ Commission elects the Chairman of the Board and the remaining 16 board directors. The Board of Directors elects four deputy chairs and three executive directors. Three deputy chairs take turns serving as the company’s rotating chairman. The rotating chairman leads the Board of Directors and its Executive Committee while in office. The board exercises decision-making authority for corporate strategy and operations management, and is the highest body responsible for corporate strategy, operations management, and customer satisfaction. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Board chairs the Representatives’ Commission. As Huawei’s highest decision-making body, the Representatives’ Commission makes decisions on important company matters, like profit distribution, capital increases, and the elections of members of the Board of Directors and the Supervisory Board.
    [Show full text]
  • Huawei Board of Directors
    Huawei Board of Directors DIRECTOR CRISIS MANAGER MODERATOR Priscilla Layarda Brayden Ning Sharon Lee CRISIS ANALYSTS Sahreesh Nawar Victoria Wang Huiyang (Harry) Chen UTMUN 2020 Huawei Board of Directors Contents Content Disclaimer 3 UTMUN Policies 4 Equity Concerns and Accessibility Needs 4 A Letter from Your Director 5 Historical Context 7 Global Technological Landscape 8 Reasons for the Ban 8 Effects of the Ban 8 Huawei Business Model 12 Core Business 12 Value Proposition 12 Customer Segments and Customer Relationships 13 Key Partners 13 Key Resources 14 Governance Structure 15 Finances 17 Sanctions and Privacy Concerns 18 US-China Trade Tensions 18 Supply-Chain Concerns 18 Potential Loss of Market for Current Products 19 Legal Challenges 20 Privacy and Security Concerns 20 Long-Term Strategic Plan 21 Pace of Innovation 21 Brand Image in the US 21 1 UTMUN 2020 Huawei Board of Directors Mergers and Acquisitions 21 Growth Markets 22 New Products 22 Questions to Consider 24 Further Research 25 Bibliography 26 2 UTMUN 2020 Huawei Board of Directors Content Disclaimer At its core, Model United Nations (MUN) is a simulatory exercise of diplomatically embodying, presenting, hearing, dissecting, and negotiating various perspectives in debate. Such an exercise offers opportunities for delegates to meaningfully explore possibilities for conflict resolution on various issues and their complex, even controversial dimensions – which, we recognize, may be emotionally and intellectually challenging to engage with. As UTMUN seeks to provide an enriching educational experience that facilitates understanding of the real-world implications of issues, our committees’ contents may necessarily involve sensitive or controversial subject matter strictly for academic purposes.
    [Show full text]
  • HUAWEI ARREST: Canada Caught in a Political Tug of War
    TABLE OF CONTENTS Video Summary & Related Content 3 Video Review 4 Before Viewing 5 While Viewing 7 Talk Prompts 9 After Viewing 13 The Story 15 Activity #1: Building Canada’s 5G Network 20 Activity #2: Imagine the Worst 23 Sources 25 CREDITS News in Review is produced by Visit www.curio.ca/newsinreview for an archive CBC NEWS and curio.ca of all previous News In Review seasons. As a companion resource, go to www.cbc.ca/news GUIDE for additional articles. Writer/editor: Sean Dolan Additional editing: Michaël Elbaz CBC authorizes reproduction of material VIDEO contained in this guide for educational Host: Michael Serapio purposes. Please identify source. Senior Producer: Jordanna Lake News In Review is distributed by: Packaging Producer: Marie-Hélène Savard curio.ca | CBC Media Solutions Associate Producer: Francine Laprotte Supervising Manager: Laraine Bone © 2019 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation HUAWEI ARREST: Canada Caught in a Political Tug of War Video duration – 18:02 The arrest of a top executive from Chinese company Huawei has placed Canada in the middle of a political tug of war. In December 2018, Canadian authorities detained Meng Wanzhou at the Vancouver Airport at the request of U.S. law officials. Meng is the daughter of the founder of Huawei, the largest technical communications company in the world. She remains in Canada while awaiting possible extradition to the U.S. on charges of fraud and violating international sanctions. Her arrest has heightened diplomatic tensions between China and Canada. And the case has far reaching implication raising security concerns about giving Huawei access to Canada's 5G network.
    [Show full text]
  • If Convicted, Huawei Faces Bigger Problems Than Fines
    IF CONVICTED, HUAWEI FACES BIGGER PROBLEMS THAN FINES Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang called on the US to drop charges against Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. CHINESE TELECOM GIANT Huawei could face millions in fines if convicted of all charges in two indictments unsealed by the US Department of Justice Monday. But the money is likely the least of Huawei’s worries. The first indictment accuses Huawei and its executives, including CFO Meng Wanzhou, of crimes including bank fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and obstruction of justice related to alleged violations of sanctions forbidding the sale of US-made equipment to Iran. The potential blow to the company is particularly severe because Meng is the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei; she was arrested in Canada last month and is awaiting extradition to the US. The other indictment accuses the company of stealing intellectual property from T- Mobile, as part of an effort that included offering bonuses to employees who stole confidential information from competitors. According to the indictment, a company policy promised employees they wouldn’t be disciplined for such actions, and encouraged them to use an encrypted email address for particularly sensitive information. "The company denies that it or its subsidiary or affiliate have committed any of the asserted violations of U.S. law set forth in each of the indictments, is not aware of any wrongdoings by Ms. Meng, and believes the U.S. courts will ultimately reach the same conclusion," Huawei said in a statement published on Twitter. Huawei has already faced civil suits in the US over alleged intellectual property theft, but the new indictments raise the stakes for the company, and especially Meng.
    [Show full text]
  • Constructing Large Multinational Corporations from China: East Meets West at Huawei, 1987-2017
    Constructing large multinational corporations from China: East meets West at Huawei, 1987-2017 Johann Peter Murmann Professor of Strategy Institute of Management University of St. Gallen, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland email: [email protected] Can Huang Professor & Head of Department of Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Strategy, Co-Director of Institute for Intellectual Property Management School of Management, Zhejiang University, China Zhejiang University Hangzhou, 310058, P.R. China Email: [email protected] Xiaobo Wu Cheung Kong Chair Professor honored by the Ministry of Education, China Qiushi Chair Professor of Innovation & Strategic Management Co-director Ruihua Institute for Innovation Management Zhejiang University Hangzhou, 310058, P.R. China email: [email protected] Constructing large multinational corporations from China: East meets West at Huawei, 1987-2017 Abstract: The telecommunication enterprise Huawei, founded in 1987, is one of few multinational companies emerging from China to date. The development of the capabilities that allowed Huawei to become a formidable competitor on the global stage undoubtedly owes a great deal to importation of best practice routines from the West with the help of western consulting firms. But Huawei is also distinctly Chinese. In the West, a founder who relinquished all but a 1.4 percent of equity in the firm to give the remaining shares to employees would be an abnormality. Huawei’s collective ownership arrangement (88,000 people own the other 98.6 percent of the shares) enabled management actions that are unthinkable in the West. The top 6,687 managers in 2007, for example, agreed to collectively resign from the company and to be selectively rehired to avoid falling under new labor law restrictions.
    [Show full text]