#7 to #1 in Southern Europe
Company Overview
Company Name
Huawei
Company Size
100,000+ employees
Location
Shenzhen, China (based in London, UK with global travel)
Lines of Business
Consumer Electronics, Smartphones, Connected Devices
Context
When I joined Huawei as CMO for Western Europe, the brand was ranked sixth or seventh in recognition and sales across the region. It was widely regarded as a cheap Chinese imitator and not taken seriously by consumers, media, or retail partners. The company was spending heavily on sports sponsorships and mass awareness activity but seeing poor commercial and brand returns. Marketing was fully distributed across countries with no consistency, no centre of excellence, and a team of about five people in Dusseldorf working with budgets of around 1.5 million euros. The brief was clear: take this brand to number one in Western Europe within two years.
Background
I was hired initially as CMO for Western Europe, reporting into the global consumer business leadership in China. The role expanded significantly over the course of the engagement. Following the US government placing Huawei on the Entity List, I was given a second role as Chief of Brand globally while still holding the Western Europe CMO position. I was the only non-Chinese leader in the global consumer executive leadership team, communicating in Chinese via translators for much of the strategic work. This was not just a marketing transformation but a cross-cultural leadership challenge at the highest level of a $100 billion company during an existential crisis.
Actions Taken
This engagement required every dimension of marketing leadership: strategy, brand, growth marketing, operating models, and talent. I completed a detailed situation analysis, developed a new strategy, secured stakeholder support, and set about transforming the marketing operation from the ground up. I established a marketing centre of excellence in London, standardised strategy development, marketing operations, performance management, and KPIs. I built an integrated marketing communications framework and go-to-market approach that replaced the fragmented country-by-country model. I developed and led global campaigns for the P10, P20, Mate 10, and Mate 20, all driven by the new capabilities built in Europe. I set a goal for Huawei to win its first ever Gold Lions at Cannes and briefed leading agencies across Europe to pitch ideas that could do good for the community while achieving this for the brand. This produced StorySign, the AI Car, the Unfinished Symphony, and a series of innovations that changed Huawei's global reputation. When the Entity List crisis hit, I personally wrote the communication strategy for media, staff, customers, and retail partners. I led the external response, briefed all countries, and conducted seven consecutive broadcast interviews with CNN, Fox News, and the BBC.
Results
Within two years, Huawei achieved number one market share in Spain, Italy, and Portugal. Number two in Germany and France. And it was the fastest growing brand in the premium tier in the UK, achieving 22% market share within six months. Europe became the global centre of excellence for Huawei's marketing, with countries around the world replicating the European model. In the same period, Huawei went on to achieve number one in the world based on unit sales, without being in the US. StorySign achieved a reach of 1.8 billion, 4.7 million engagements, and won seven Lions at Cannes including four Golds. The Unfinished Symphony achieved a reach of over two billion people worldwide with 2,100 press articles. The AI Car generated over 4,300 press articles and reached an audience of 6.8 billion people.