CEO of Chinese smartphone brand Honor resigns due to personal reasons
Honor's focus on high-end devices and technology is expected to continue under Jian Li, who will succeed Zhao as CEO.
George Zhao, the chief executive of Chinese smartphone firm Honor, has resigned from his position due to personal reasons, the company said on Friday.
"The company and the Board of Directors sincerely appreciate Mr Zhao's outstanding contributions to the company during his tenure," Honor said in a statement.
Jian Li, who's been at Honor for four years in various senior management positions, will succeed Zhao as CEO.
In an internal memo posted by Chinese media and confirmed as accurate by an Honor spokesperson, Zhao said he was stepping down due to health reasons and planned to rest, recover and spend more time with his family.
Zhao called the decision to leave Honor "the most difficult decision" he has ever made.
The move comes as Honor looks to pull off an IPO which it first announced in 2023.
Honor was spun off from Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei in 2020 in a bid to avoid U.S. sanctions that were crippling Huawei's smartphone business.