Lenovo Group Ltd.'s mobile business head Liu Jun steps down and becomes the firm's CEO's special consultant. (Photo : Reuters)
Liu Jun, head of Lenovo Group Ltd.'s mobile business, is stepping down and is set to become a special consultant to the tech giant's chief executive officer, Yang Yuanqing.
Liu's stepping down comes less than a year after the firm acquired Motorola Mobility in its aim of expanding its presence in the smartphone market. He also serves as Motorola Mobility's chairman.
Lenovo is still mum as to why Liu is letting go of his role as the tech firm's mobile business chief.
According to Lenovo, current ShenQi smartphone unit head Chen Xudong will take over Liu's position. ShenQi, affiliated with the firm, is a separate handset brand in China selling units via e-commerce platforms.
The management said that the change in the leadership is a response to Lenovo's struggle in its competition with upstart smartphone maker, Xiaomi, Inc.
Lenovo's share in China, the world's largest smartphone market, has seen a decline after facing fierce competition from global giants like Samsung Electronics Co. and Apple, Inc., as well as local players such as Xiaomi and Huawei Technologies Co.
The firm currently holds an 8.3-percent share, making it the fifth-largest vendor in the country. The figure is lower than last year's 10.2-percent share, the second highest on that particular period.
In October last year, Lenovo bought Motorola Mobility from Google, Inc. With the acquisition, Lenovo was able to snatch the third spot with a 5.6-percent share in the world smartphone market during this year's first quarter, coming behind Samsung and Apple.
