Emir Bardakçı
In an internal email released today, the Xiaomi Group announced key adjustments to its personnel involving a number of senior executives all the way from Group President Lu Weibing to Senior Vice President Zeng Xuezhong. These reveal strategic reshuffling by Xiaomi to streamline its leadership and improve focus on core areas of business.
New roles assigned to Lu Weibing and Zeng Xuezhong
The letter states that Lu Weibing, who was holding quite a number of key positions such as Group President and President of the International Business Department, has come to take up this appointment as President of the Mobile Phone Department. He will still report directly to Xiaomi’s chief executive officer, Lei Jun. This deal is supposed to reinforce Mr. Lu’s leadership as head in an attempt to take their smartphone division at Xiaomi to the next level.
Meanwhile, Zeng Xuezhong, currently President of the Mobile Phone Department, has been transferred to the position of President of the International Business Department, while remaining in charge of the Internet Business Department. Zeng will report to Lu Weibing, thus reversing core roles for them.
Strategic Shift by Xiaomi
These personnel adjustments mark Xiaomi’s efforts to optimize its management structure as the company has been continuously expanding both at home and abroad. Lu Weibing will, in particular, be in charge of the smartphone division-a very important part of the company’s operations-as it tries to innovate in the smartphone arena. Notably, this is not the first time Xiaomi has made management changes to improve focus. In February, Xiaomi’s founder and chief executive, Lei Jun, announced on his personal Weibo account that Lu Weibing would assume the mantle of General Manager of Xiaomi’s Brand, freeing Lei Jun from the duties so he can put more focus on the ambitious automotive projects of the company. Nonetheless, Lei Jun still fronted Xiaomi’s most recent annual keynote address.
Looking Ahead
And as Xiaomi readies for fresh challenges and opportunities, the reshuffle is expected to spur growth in Xiaomi’s core smartphone and international business sectors. With Lu Weibing at the helm of mobile operations and Zeng Xuezhong focusing on international expansion, Xiaomi plans to expand its influence in markets around the world while continuing to deliver innovative products to consumers everywhere.
