In an internal email today, Lei Jun announced the most important personnel change since Xiaomi’s inception.
According to the email, co-founders Lin Bin and Li Wanqiang will transfer to other positions in order to make plans for the company from a higher level. Managers of the younger generation will take bigger responsibilities and become the mainstay of the company.
Xiaomi president Lin Bin will take office as general manager of Xiaomi mobile, an internal contact told Kr-Asia. The new position will allow Lin to leverage the company to another level in terms of cooperation and productivity. Lin will also help free Lei Jun from the chores so that the Xiaomi founder can focus on the company’s strategic planning.
Li Wanqiang, co-founder and senior VP of Xiaomi, will become Xiaomi’s new brand strategy officer as well as the partner of ShunWei Capital. Focusing on brand management, Li is to further promote Xiaomi’s brand by investing in sectors related to Xiaomi products.
Partnered with Lei Jun for 20 years, Li is vital for Xiaomi’s future development because of his deep understanding of the brand and his unique vision into the market. He has participated in a series of successful investment made by ShunWei Capital, including investment in Bilibili, one of China’s most popular video sharing platforms.
The younger generation of managers who got promoted this time just proved Xiaomi’s successful talent scheme. Wang Lingming, the new VP and general manager of Xiaomi’s Sales and Services department, has more than 20-years’ experience in sales and operation. Wang also has a sophisticated understanding of offline sales activities. Another new VP Liang Feng is to take charge of the marketing department. He has previously contributed essential ideas in the process of Xiaomi’s brand building and new products promotions.
This is the most important personnel change ever for the company, according to people familiar with Xiaomi. The diversity of the core management team means the Chinese mobile phone maker is poised to achieve bigger development.