It looks like former UK Government CIO, John Suffolk, is all set to pack his bags and move to China. Chinese telecoms company, Huawei, has announced Suffolk’s appointment as its Global Cyber Security Officer (GCSO), reporting directly to Huawei’s CEO, as of 1st October. Suffolk’s office will be located in Huawei’s headquarters in Shenzhen, China.
We were recently in touch with Suffolk and he told us that his next move had been approved by the Prime Minister and that it “might raise the odd eyebrow”. Recently Huawei has been making attempts to improve transparency and address US concerns relating to alleged links with the Chinese military (see FT article). Undoubtedly Huawei will be hoping the appointment of Suffolk goes another step to addressing such concerns. Although we know Suffolk to be a man of great integrity, it could be perceived that Huawei is looking for window dressing and Suffolk has just stepped in to be its mannequin.
The company is also looking to restructure it management team as it attempts to move outside its traditional business with telecoms operators. Suffolk will be in charge of developing Huawei’s cyber security assurance strategy and system, managing and supervising its implementation.