Huawei Canada Exec Quits as Scandal Continues to Embroil Company

A top Huawei Canada executive has quit the embattled telecom company as its chief financial officer awaits U.S. extradition proceedings in Vancouver.

Scott Bradley, Huawei Canada’s senior vice president for corporate affairs, disclosed his move in a post on job networking site LinkedIn. He didn’t give a reason but wrote “as we start 2019, it is time for a change.” He said he would continue to advise Huawei as requested by the management.

Bradley's resignation followed the December arrest of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer, in Canada in connection with alleged violations of U.S. sanctions on Iran. She has posted bail and is barred from leaving the country.

More bad news followed over the weekend, when Polish authorities arrested a Chinese Huawei executive in Poland on charges of spying. Huawei issued a statement from its Chinese headquarters late Saturday saying they had terminated Wang Weijing’s employment because the allegations had brought the company into “disrepute.”

Western nations have long accused Huawei of seeking to spy on them on behalf of the Chinese government, in part because the company founder, Ren Zhengfei, was a Communist Party of China member and a military engineer before he ventured into the business world to create what would become world’s largest telecom network gear-maker.

Bradley, who worked at Huawei for more than 7 years, was a key public spokesman for Huawei Canada. He had served as chair of the 5G Canada Council, a national trade group promoting next-generation high-speed wireless technology, according to Reuters.

In an interview with the Canadian press in December, Bradley lashed out at Huawei’s critics saying they should think rationally about the notion of the company risking tens of billions of dollars by undertaking illicit activities on behalf of spymasters.

“I think people need to step back a little bit and think of the simple dollars-and-cents economic impact if in fact any of this activity ever happened,” he said then. “There are perceptions that need to be challenged.”

Huawei has built a solid track record in Canada over the last decade, employing 960 people, conducting research and abiding by stringent security provisions, he said.

Contact reporter Jason Tan (jasontan@caixin.com)