Lei Jun steps down as Xiaomi’s China head in management reshuffle

Xiaomi co-founder Lei Jun has stepped down as the company president for China as the firm undergoes key management changes, Chinese business newspaper Time Weekly reported, citing an internal letter sent to Xiaomi staff.

Photo credit: Xiaomi

Lu Weibing, the general manager of Xiaomi offshoot brand Redmi, is set to replace Lei as the new president for China. Lei, meanwhile, will continue to serve in his current position as chairman and CEO.

In addition, Xiaomi co-founder Li Wanqiang, who used to lead the company’s marketing and brand strategy, has resigned from the company. Xiaomi senior vice president Qi Yan has also retired, but is set to retain an advisory role alongside Li.

Wang Xiang, global senior vice president and head of international business at Xiaomi, was promoted to president of the company, succeeding Lin Bin, who is now appointed to serve as vice chairman of the board. Shou Zi Chew, chief financial officer at Xiaomi, replaces Wang in his old position.

The changes follow the Beijing-based company seeing a decline in smartphone market share since Lei held the position in May. The company posted record revenues for Q3 2019, but also a 7.8% drop in smartphone sales year on year.

Xiaomi’s market share in China also fell to 9% during the quarter, dropping from 13.1% a year ago, according to market analysis firm Canalys. Huawei’s market share in the country, on the other hand, ballooned to 42.4% from 24.9% in the same year-ago quarter.

Despite a dipping market share in its home country, Xiaomi’s international business remains strong. According to data from Canalys, the company ranked fifth among over 40 countries in terms of smartphone shipments during the third quarter.

It remained strong particularly in India and Western Europe, where it ranked first and fourth, respectively, in terms of smartphone shipments amid a year-on-year growth of nearly 91%.