Taiwan's HTC hires ex-Orange executive Maitre as CEO (updated)

HTC

17/09/2019 13:17

(Adds comments from CEO, background)
    SHANGHAI, Sept 17 (Reuters) - HTC Corp  2498.TW  has hired
Yves Maitre as its new CEO, the smartphone maker said on Tuesday
as it announced the replacement of Cher Wang by the former
Orange executive.
    Maitre will be tasked with reviving HTC, which has struggled
as rivals such as Samsung  005930.KS  and Huawei HWT.UL  have
come to dominate the Android smartphone sector. 
    While smartphones remain "part of the DNA" of HTC, Maitre
told Reuters, he hopes to expand into education or
business-to-business verticals as 5G connectivity expands.
    "VR training and VR education are just getting started,"
said Maitre. "We are clearly, clearly the number one in VR
education and training. This market is growing."
    While HTC's Vive headset, which ranks among the top-selling
brands alongside devices from Sony  6758.T  and Facebook's
 FB.O  Oculus, has shown promise in the fledgling virtual
reality (VR) sector, it remains a niche device.
    The company's smartphones, which were industry trailblazers
when first introduced in 2008, have for years maintained a
global market share of 1% or below.
    "Our goal at HTC is to be at the center of 5G," said Maitre.
    "If we need the smartphone to win the battle, we'll keep the
smartphone. If we don't need the smartphone to win the battle,
we'll see."
    In January, the company began shipping the Exodus 1, a
handset that comes with a number of blockchain-centric features
such as a built-in cryptocurrency wallet.
    HTC said in a statement that Wang will retain her role as
chairwoman of its board after resigning as CEO.
    Last year HTC laid off 1,500 employees, roughly one quarter
of its workforce. Earlier, about 2,000 HTC employees moved to
Google as part of a $1.1 billion acquisition deal.
    The company's annual revenue in 2018 hit NT$23.7 billion, a
62% drop from a year earlier.
($1 = $1.0000)

 (Reporting by Josh Horwitz; editing by Darren Schuettler and
Alexander Smith)
 ((Josh.Horwitz@thomsonreuters.com; +86 21 20830007;))