Two Huawei directors resign after company’s silence on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Andrew Cahn and Ken Olisa urge Huawei to issue a public statement on the war

Two board directors of Chinese telecom giant Huawei have stepped down after the Chinese company refused to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Andrew Cahn and Ken Olisa resigned from the board of directors on Wednesday as they felt that their position in the company was untenable following the company’s refusal to consider their request to criticise Russian president Vladimir Putin’s actions.

On Wednesday, the two men had urged Huawei to issue a public statement through its headquarters in Shenzhen, China, reported Sky News.

“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,” said a Huawei spokesperson.

“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.”

This is not the first time that Britons have stepped down from the company over political concerns.

John Browne, former BP chief, had resigned as the chairman of Huawei’s UK operation in 2020 ahead of the UK government banning the company from the country’s 5G networks.

In 2021, Mike Rake, the former chairman of BT Group, followed Mr Browne and resigned from his non-executive directorship.

The resignations on Wednesday come as China continues its silence on the Putin administration’s war in Ukraine which has now entered its third week.

China had abstained last week from a UN resolution condemning Russian action in Ukraine. Beijing has maintained that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations should be respected but imposing sanctions create new issues and disrupt the process of a political settlement.

On Monday, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said Moscow constituted to be “one of the most crucial bilateral relationships [for China] in the world”.

“No matter how perilous the international landscape, we will maintain our strategic focus and promote the development of comprehensive China-Russia partnership in the new era,” he said.

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Additional reporting by agencies