Huawei UK directors quit over firm’s silence on Russian invasion
Two British board members of Huawei’s UK subsidiary are set to resign over the Chinese telecoms giant’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
As first reported by Mark Kleinman for Sky News, Sir Andrew Cahn and Sir Ken Olisa notified the company today that they intend to step down from their positions as non-executive directors.
Insiders said that the pair had called on Huawei to condemn Putin’s actions through a public statement, but their demands were met with deaf ears.
Whilst hundreds of companies have withdrawn from Russia, Huawei have remained silent.
A Huawei spokesperson said: “Sir Andrew Cahn and Sir Ken Olisa brought considerable experience from the world of business and technology to Huawei UK’s Board of Directors when they were appointed in 2015 and 2018 respectively.”
“Both have shown strong support for Huawei’s commitment to the UK and have helped uphold the highest standards of corporate governance and we thank them for their invaluable guidance.”
The company is working on withdrawing from the UK following a crackdown by the government on Huawei’s British operations last year.
Olisa was notably embroiled in a racism scandal that saw him resign from the Institute of Directors in 2018.
As the first black lord-lieutenant of Greater London, he quit the position following a defiant defence of its first female chair, Barbara Judge, who was accused of sexism and racism.
He wrote in his letter of resignation: “Instead of showcasing good governance, we have found ourselves in a surreal world of flawed processes, flagrant disregard for the principles of natural justice and a roughshod journey over the laws of the Institute.
“Senior leaders covertly recording private conversations, systemically disregarding due process and leaking confidential material to the press have combined to make the IoD a laughing stock in the court of public opinion.”
He added at the time: “‘If there is anybody on the planet who would have spotted Barbara for signs of racism it would have to be me. The answer to the question whether she is a racist is no, of course not. It is complete nonsense, it is such risible nonsense.”
Meanwhile, Cahn has spent most of his career in public service, in the Cabinet Office, the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Agriculture, and three times working in the European Institutions in Brussels