Former government CIO joins Huawei as cyber security officer

John Suffolk will start work at the Chinese giant on 1 October

Ex-government CIO John Suffolk has joined Chinese company Huawei as global cyber security officer.

He will be responsible for developing a global cyber security assurance strategy and system and managing its implementation.

Suffolk worked as CIO for the government for five years, and left in December 2010.

He has also worked as an adviser to the World Bank recently, and advised governments on how ICT can be used to transform the public service sector and generate economic growth.

Suffolk worked as the director general of the UK Criminal Justice Transformation Programme prior to working as government CIO.

Suffolk will be based in Shenzhen, China, and will start work on 1 October.

The cyber security assurance strategy will be adopted globally by all business groups and across all departments including R&D, supply chain, marketing and sales, project delivery and technical service, the firm said.

The role will see Suffolk work with governments and private sector customers and will cover "clouds, pipes and devices".

Ken Hu, deputy chairman of Huawei, said: "Suffolk has a wealth of experience and expertise in dealing with cyber security issues with deep insights into emerging global cyber security trends. This will enhance Huawei's capability in addressing security challenges, and further support our proven track record and reputation among customers in an increasingly complex environment."

Suffolk's appointment may help to persuade governments that there is nothing to fear from Huawei. The US government in particular has expressed concerns about the company.

This concern led it to block Huawei's purchase of American computer company 3Leaf systems in February this year.