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Sir Mike to depart after a year on the Huawei board, following an initial stint as advisor in 2019
Former BT chairman Sir Mike Rake is to step down from his role as a non-executive director at Huawei next month.
Sir Mike initially joined Huawei as an advisor in 2019, before joining the board as a non-executive director last year.
His decision to depart Huawei follows a turbulent time for the Chinese vendor, which saw its involvement in the UK’s 5G rollout overturned last year.
The government issued a full ban on Huawei from the UK’s 5G networks, with all kit supplied by the vendor to be removed by 2027.
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In a statement confirming the departure, Huawei vice president Victor Zhang thanked Sir Mike for his stint at the vendor.
“Sir Mike Rake’s sound guidance during a turbulent period for Huawei has proved invaluable since his advisory role began in 2019.
“A highly respected business leader and former Chairman of BT group, Sir Mike brought his wealth of telecommunications knowledge to the Huawei UK board in 2020.”
The outgoing Sir Mike added: “Huawei has made a major contribution to the UK economy, its infrastructure , research capabilities and competitiveness for twenty years with transparency and openness.
“I have been pleased to have provided advice and support to them since 2019 and particularly with the issues they have recently faced in this country.”
His departure is the second high-profile exit from Huawei since the UK’s decision to overturn the 5G ban.
Former Huawei UK chairman Lord Browne of Madingley left his position last September in the immediate aftermath of the government decision. He left this post six months earlier than initially planned.