Huawei said that Jeff Liu, president of its Honor brand, is to leave the company in the first half of this year.

Liu will be replaced by Zhao Ming, VP of Huawei’s Western Europe Region, and the two will “work closely together over the coming months to ensure a smooth leadership transition”, Huawei said in a statement.

The move comes as Huawei is working to position Honor as a stand-alone brand targeting youth customers. It shipped 20 million units last year, and by the end of the year had a presence in more than 60 countries and regions.

Liu has spent 19 years with Huawei, working across multiple business units and heading the Honor activities since 2013. His replacement joined Huawei in 1998, and has “rich R&D, marketing and international market experience”.