Huawei has hired a former Nokia and Samsung executive for its UK & Ireland markets

Former Samsung, Nokia exec Mark Mitchinson to head up sales, marketing activities for Chinese vendor's devices division.

Huawei took another step forward in its plans to grow its devices business outside of China on Monday with the appointment of former Samsung and Nokia executive Mark Mitchinson as its U.K. and Ireland vice president.

The kit maker said that Mitchinson will head up the sales and marketing activities for its devices portfolio as it looks to establish itself as a major consumer-facing brand.

Huawei said last week that it expects to ship between 12 million and 15 million smartphones worldwide in 2011, compared to 3.3 million in 2010, as it aims to turn its devices division from a $5 billion business into a $20 billion business in the next five years.

The equipment maker has traditionally concentrated on producing white label products for its operator partners, but now the company has set about developing Huawei as a handset brand in its own right in a bid to become one of the world's top five device makers by 2013.

"There are very few roles, and indeed very few firms in the U.K. mobile industry with genuine potential and scale for significant growth," said Mitchinson, in a statement.

Mitchinson joins Huawei from Carphone Warehouse where he served as group managing director for business, wholesale and distribution. He also spent 11 years at Samsung as general manager, director, and vice president of its U.K. mobile business, as well as 18 months at Nokia during the 1990s.

"It is a wonderful compliment to Huawei, and a testament to our ambition in the market that Mark has elected to help us to shape our future in the U.K. and Ireland," said Victor Zhang, Huawei UK's CEO.

"Mark has shown great business leadership and popularity in the U.K. mobile industry in the past two decades," he said.

Mitchinson will report to Zhang from 3 May.

Meanwhile in a separate announcement, Huawei said that its general manager of devices for the U.K. and Ireland Nicola Philbin will take on a new role as global head of the company's Hutchison Whampoa account, where she will be responsible for the branding strategy for Huawei's devices across the operator's footprint.

(C) Total Telecom