Charles Yang, President, Huawei Middle East
How is your business currently dealing with the impact of COVID-19? Is your business operational through “work-from-home” or other hybrid policies? How do “work-from-home/hybrid” policies affect your business in terms of productivity? How long in the future can your business continue to be operational through these policies?
During this global pandemic, the safety of every one of our employees has been our top priority. Ever since the first signs of an outbreak in China, Huawei has taken an active approach to ensure the safety of our workplaces. This has included deploying prevention measures across our campuses, implementing a daily employee health check system, and procuring protective materials.
With over 194,000 employees at Huawei, we have already provided the necessary processes to maintain and keep collaboration going and our services on track. We have put in place many practices for online meeting and work, using our own products and solutions such as video conferencing, WeLink, Espace among others.
We have fully resumed all production activities in China, so in the short term, we can continue supplying our customers and partners around the world.
How has the supply chain behind your business been affected?
Like all companies, Huawei is coping with the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. While ensuring the safety of our employees, we will spare no effort in responding quickly and effectively to today’s challenges, maintaining and strengthening our customers’ communications networks.
But as COVID-19 continues to spread, we may see lasting global effects for some time. Our supply chain department is providing daily updates about how our suppliers around the globe have been doing, so that our company can do everything we can to help partners along the supply chain combat the pandemic and continue production.
How long do you think will the impact from COVID continue to last?
We can’t say for sure how the pandemic will evolve.
Do you think it is still advisable for businesses to continue to invest in innovation related projects?
At Huawei, our research and innovation focus mainly on customer needs, and we grow our business based on innovation in applications, products, and basic technologies.
We invest heavily in the research of future-proof, cutting-edge technologies that aim to explore new directions for industry development and drive the world forward.
What will be the notable adverse effects of the pandemic in your industry that will be visible two months from now?
As the pandemic around the world is still developing quickly, our current priority is to ensure the safety of our employees and respond to the needs of customers and governments as they fight the pandemic. As mentioned, we are expecting to see an increased demand for ICT products amidst a boost in network usage, as more people work and meet remotely. Therefore, we’ll continue to work closely with our customers and local governments to ensure networks remain stable and secure. We are doing what we can to help meet the rapidly growing demand for networks.
What would you be your advice to your customers and vendors dealing with COVID-19?
It is our hope that the pandemic ends as soon as possible. We also hope that every patient around the world can be treated and cured as quickly as possible. The outbreak of COVID-19 is another reminder that we share this world and share the same fate. In order to address common challenges such as this one, we need to be united, because a virus knows no borders and may target anyone, regardless of their race, skin color, or wealth.
We believe in the power of dissolving boundaries and working together to build an open Collaboration that thrives on shared success. By advancing the development of the digital world – and by extension, an intelligent world – we can bring the benefits of digital life to everyone.
We should accelerate this vision by increasing knowledge transfer, building stronger ecosystems, and developing ICT in a truly responsible manner.
