Sun Yafang: Chairman of Huawei Technology Co., Ltd.
- If Sun Yafang were to write a book like "Fragrant Grass" as Wu Shihong did, you would discover a woman in China's business circle who holds a position, power, and influence much greater than Wu's.
- In fact, even before Sun became the chairman, the "Left Fei, Right Fang" structure at Huawei was already established.
- Among the criticisms I have heard, most stem from a lack of understanding about her and partly because she is a woman.
- Years of brainstorming by seasoned vice presidents cannot match half a moment of thought by Sun Yafang. At least, this is true regarding this particular matter. Speaking of Ren Zhengfei, if you understand him, you might wonder why Sun Yafang is still mentioned. What kind of figure is she that can be compared with Ren Zhengfei?
- All this has to do with Huawei's low profile. If one day Huawei becomes a publicly listed company or sheds its cloak of humility, Sun Yafang will undoubtedly become a media darling. If Sun Yafang were to write a book like "Fragrant Grass" as Wu Shihong did, you would discover a woman in China's business circle who holds a position, power, and influence much greater than Wu's.
In foreign companies operating in China, their chief representatives or presidents are essentially responsible for the market, not the overall enterprise. China is merely a sales branch for them, and their strategy, planning, finance, human resources, and business operations are almost entirely commanded by the headquarters or derived from it. A sales office with a large turnover is ultimately just an office, a department. The head of such a department is merely an executor with a broader authority range, which is fundamentally different from a decision-maker. Therefore, many people who easily manage departments find it incredibly challenging when they start their own enterprises. There are thousands of career managers, but how many true entrepreneurs are there?
Public opinion often exaggerates the significance of things. Through my years at Huawei, I deeply feel the dual nature of media hype versus maintaining a low profile. I also understand the painstaking efforts behind Huawei's humility. Public opinion can easily make an ordinary person famous overnight or render someone capable of moving mountains powerless. Most terrifyingly, these two roles are often played by the same person.
Let's return to talking about Sun Yafang. She will be one of the key figures determining Huawei's direction. To talk about Huawei is to inevitably mention her.
Sun Yafang is currently the chairman of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
Sun Yafang is not the founder of Huawei. Around 50 years old, she looks much younger than her actual age. Before joining Huawei, she worked in telecommunications at a state-owned entity. She joined the company in 1992, first as the manager of the training department, then as the director of the Changsha office, later overseeing the market, and subsequently promoted to the executive vice president responsible for the market and human resources. Since 1998, she has served as the chairman of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., concurrently holding the position of executive vice president.
The position of chairman at Huawei was established in 1998 under some turbulent circumstances. Due to Sun Yafang’s capabilities in external coordination, Ren Zhengfei proposed that she serve as chairman, responsible for external coordination, while he focused on internal management as president. In reality, Ren is the top leader, and Sun is the second-in-command.
Sun Yafang's position at Huawei is second only to Ren Zhengfei, with everyone else below her. Although the company has several executive vice presidents, their actual authority lies beneath Sun's. This isn't just a matter of ranking; it involves the need to directly or indirectly report to her. One could say that the inner core of Huawei's decision-making layer consists of only two people: Ren Zhengfei and Sun Yafang. Some personnel appointments and important documents require only Sun Yafang's approval to pass. In Huawei's company-level documents, the carbon copy column lists only two names equivalent to "President Ren" and "Chairman Sun," whereas other vice presidents must be named individually. Documents from the market and human resources departments directly supervised by her are copied only to Sun Yafang herself. Other vice presidents refer to Sun Yafang as "Chairman Sun," and even Ren Zhengfei calls her "Chairman Sun" in public settings.
On August 8th, after we had just seen Vice Chairman Hu off on his flight, I received a call from Ji Ping saying that around 10 AM, my mother, carrying two small bags of vegetables from the market, was seriously injured in a car accident. Chairman Sun has already gone to Kunming to organize rescue efforts.
"My Parents" is Ren Zhengfei's heartfelt expression, written very touchingly, and widely circulated outside. The "Ji Ping" mentioned in the article is the executive vice president in charge of finance at Huawei, one of the earliest few people who started the business with Ren Zhengfei. Even within Huawei, Ji Ping is considered a golden-mouthed figure. Yet Ren Zhengfei addresses him by his name while referring to Sun Yafang as "Chairman Sun." Ren Zhengfei calls her "Chairman Sun" not only because she is officially the chairman but more so due to her actual position within Huawei. In fact, even before Sun became chairman, the "Left Fei, Right Fang" structure at Huawei was already established.
Most of Sun Yafang's time at Huawei has been spent overseeing human resources and the market. I believe that among all departments at Huawei, the market, research and development, and human resources are the three that contribute the most to Huawei's success. What makes Huawei most feared by competitors is its meticulous marketing system, rather than purely technical advantages. In situations where Huawei's technology is comparable to its competitors, Huawei can gain a larger advantage through its market strategies. Despite significant losses in marketing personnel over the past couple of years, Huawei has maintained strong competitiveness, thanks to its roots...
[1] [2] [3] Next page