Chinese telecoms-equipment maker Huawei Technologies has confirmed that it has appointed John Suffolk, the former chief information officer for the British government, as its new cyber security officer.

Mr. Suffolk will assume his new role from 1st of October, and will be responsible for refining the company's cyber security system.

He will be based in Huawei’s Shenzhen headquarters, and will report directly to the company’s founder & chief executive Ren Zhengfei.

Speaking about his new responsibility, Suffolk said, "Having spent seven years in Government, with the last five as the UK government CIO and CISO, security was a core part of my thinking, planning and execution.”

Huawei, the world's second-largest network gear maker behind Ericsson, provides telecoms equipment worldwide with annual revenues of 185 billion Yuan (around $28 billion).

In developed markets, Huawei so far has faced many obstacles due to its alleged close ties with the Chinese government. Thus, the company has been showing deep interest in hiring former government officials and industry executives from foreign countries, in order to strengthen its global presence.