A public lecture by the CEO of Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Michael Yuan was held on ZOOM platform on 5 November 2020. With the aim to learn how to build a connected world together with Huawei and explore the digital world of this new millennium, the webinar titled “Digital Economy and New Infrastructure” was organised by UTAR Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (FICT) and Division of Community and International Networking (DCInternet).

The event kick-started with an opening speech by UTAR President Ir Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat. Complementing Huawei’s effort in building a better connected Malaysia, Prof Ewe in his opening speech enthused, “As one of the MDEC Premier Digital Tech lnstitutions, UTAR is committed towards the pursuit of quality education aimed at educating and grooming digital tech talents in support of the digital economy and the economic growth of the country. It is very clear that digital technologies play a very important role in improving the national economic developments and productivity of businesses across all industries, and increase the quality of life for people. However, the successful deployment of digital infrastructure is just as important. The digital infrastructure should also keep pace with the fast-growing demand for digital services, particularly in this current age of the ICT and internet economy so as to ensure the continuous growth and development of a vibrant global digital economy in the years ahead.”

He added, “Therefore, today’s webinar topic is indeed very relevant for us all, especially since Huawei is a key global player in the ICT infrastructure and smart devices industry. We are indeed grateful to Michael Yuan who is here today to share his knowledge and Huawei’s successes.”

UTAR Faculty of Information and Communication Technology Dean Assoc Prof Ts Dr Liew Soung Yue was the moderator of the webinar. Expressing his gratitude, he said, “It is our pleasure to have the CEO of Huawei Malaysia, Michael Yuan to share his knowledge with us today. Thank you Huawei for another successful collaboration in organising an insightful webinar.”

It then proceeded with the webinar. The webinar focused on insights, advice, and experiences about Huawei, the industry and how we can make full use of new technology and IoT. In his talk, Yuan explained, “In line with Huawei’s tagline ‘Bring digital to every person, home and organisation for a fully connected, intelligent world’, I am indeed grateful to UTAR for having me here today. The Covid-19 pandemic has restricted our physical gathering and face-to-face discussions, but thanks to new technologies for connecting us together.”

Yuan explained to the participants about the background of Huawei and its vision and mission. He said, “Huawei, with the slogan: ‘Make it possible’, is a leading global provider of information and communication technology (ICT) including telecommunication networks, smart devices, IT and cloud services, which digitally connects every individual, home and organisation. Today, Huawei has more than 194,000 employees and operates in more than 170 countries and regions by improving the people-digital experience in work, life and entertainment.”

Emphasising on the importance of digital economy, Yuan explained, “Digital economy is one of the most important factors in improving national economic developments, productivity and businesses across all industries. Malaysia is a regional hub for Huawei and we are keen on developing local talents, enhancing knowledge transfer, and promoting a greater understanding of converged ICT technologies and digital economy. Huawei’s willingness to invest time and energy in institutions of higher learning augers well for the nation, as industry and academia collaboration can harness the best minds from both worlds, resulting in accelerated innovation.”

He added, “Industries are entering a cycle of digitisation, presenting new opportunities. The Ministry of Communications and Multimedia will play a significant role in Malaysia’s growth. In the process of evolution from the traditional economy to the new economy, the utilisation of the core resources is pushing the development of the economy. Data, the core resource of the digital economy era needs to match the production tool. In the entire life cycle of data generation, collection, transmission, storage, computing and application, 5G, cloud and AI, as three necessary elements are required to be integrated to form the production of information system in the digital economy era.”

He also explained that in the next 30 years, ICT will become a part of every industry technologies and business models which will transform and build a fully connected and intelligent world. He said, “Huawei provides end-to-end professional services throughout the planning, construction and maintenance phases for 5G networks, in alignment with the customer's business and operation flows. This helps customers create competitive edges through efficient, cross-domain 5G network planning and fast, accurate 5G network build-out.”

Participated by more than 480 participants, the webinar ended with a constructive Q&A session.

Michael Yuan is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Huawei Malaysia since February 2019. He is responsible for overseeing the strategic growth, operations and overall development of Huawei Technologies in Malaysia. With over seven years of experience in the ICT industry, Yuan has undertaken and excelled in various roles within Huawei Technologies. Prior to the current role, he was the Deputy CEO of Huawei Indonesia. Yuan joined Huawei in 2011 as an Engineer for Indonesia Indosat Account, and quickly rose through the ranks handling different positions in Indonesia, including Account Director, Vice President of Carrier Network Business Group, responsible for strategy planning, market analysis, sales and service as well as project operations for Huawei Indonesia. Yuan is an alumnus of Hangzhou Dianzi University, where he attained his Bachelor’s Degree in Telecommunication Engineering in 2005. In 2006, Yuan continue his study in Engineer School in Electronics and Electrotechnics, France and attained Master’s Degree in Information and Telecommunication Network Engineering in 2008.