A number of branded smartphone vendors have recently reshuffled the top management of their operations in China as they are struggling to stay afloat in the country's smartphone industry amid the rapid rise of local brands, according to industry sources.
China's top-four local brands - ZTE, Huawei Technologies, Yulong (Coolpad) and Lenovo - have outperformed most of their international branded competitors, with the exception of Samsung Electronics, and taken second to fifth place in China's smartphone vendor rankings, indicated the sources.
HTC initiated the latest reshuffle on August 15 when it announced that it appointed Jack Tong as president of its China operations. Tong will concurrently serve as president of HTC North Asia. Tong's predecessor, Ray Yam, will continue to stay with HTC and focus on the development of emerging business in China.
Tong's appointment came after Nokia appointed Erik Bertman as its new general manager for Nokia China in May, and Sony Mobile Communications followed in the same month to name Zheng Shuren as its new president for the Greater China region, replacing outgoing Magnus Ahlqvist.
Motorola Mobility highlighted the reshuffling activities in July by announcing the appointment of Liu Fei as new president for its operation in the Greater China. Liu's predecessor, Meng Pu, resigned from Motorola at the end of June.
Among international players, the lackluster performance of Nokia and BlackBerry might be caused by the low popularity of Windows Phone and BlackBerry platforms in China, while slumping sales of Android phones offered by Sony Mobile, LG and HTC in China might be blamed on their pricing strategies and their cooperation relationships with local telecom carriers, commented the sources.
Additionally, while struggling in the mid-range to high-end Android segment, HTC, Sony Mobile and LG have been reluctant to step into the sub-CNY2,000 (US$327) segment, further weakening their competitiveness in the China market, added the sources.
Article translated by Steve Shen
