The Chinese telco giant's experiment of setting up a local board populated with heavy hitters to push its case in Canberra and win over the public ultimately failed.
A symbol of threat: Huawei has driven a wedge between members of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network. AP
John Lord is suddenly the former chairman of Huawei Australia as well as a former rear admiral of the Australian Navy. His decision to leave Huawei after nine years, he says, was in some ways harder than his decision to leave the navy after 36 years.
It was also inevitable. The federal government’s move to block the Chinese telco equipment giant from any role in the 5G network has stymied Huawei’s existing business in Australia, let alone any prospect of growth.
Jennifer HewettColumnistJennifer Hewett is the national affairs columnist. She writes a daily column on politics, business and the economy. Connect with Jennifer on Twitter. Email Jennifer at jennifer.hewett@afr.com
