LUXEMBOURG -- Sisvel has appointed Yixiong Zou to lead its operations in China. He will be responsible for steering the company’s licensing, programme management and business development efforts in the country, and will manage a new Sisvel office to be established in Shenzhen.

Mr Zou joins the company as Managing Director, China and is the first person to hold this title. His appointment reflects the importance that Sisvel attaches to the Chinese market.

In a career spanning more than 25 years, Mr Zou has held engineering, legal and licensing roles with major technology companies in both China and the United States. Most recently, he was Associate General Counsel at renewable energy technology company AESC US.

Mr Zou attended Shanghai Jiao Tong University before relocating to the US, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Florida State University and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California.

After beginning his working life at Intel as an engineer, Mr Zou switched to patent law and joined Qualcomm as patent counsel in 2011. During his seven years at the company, he handled a range of licensing, litigation and antitrust matters and helped strengthen Qualcomm’s on-the-ground presence in China.

From 2018, Mr Zou held in-house roles in Chinese technology businesses including Midea Group, a Fortune Global 500 company, and Zeku Technologies, Oppo’s semiconductor design unit.

“We are proud to welcome Yixiong to our global leadership team: his expertise and experience will be instrumental in driving our initiatives forward,” says Sisvel President Mattia Fogliacco. “As a leading market for the creation and implementation of standards-based technologies, China is central to the work we do to provide efficient licensing solutions. By bringing Yixiong on board we are underlining our deep commitment to expanding our footprint there. Appointing a thought leader like him to lead our operations in China will enhance our understanding of the local market dynamics and enable us to provide better licensing solutions.”

“I am excited to join Sisvel and its world-class team,” says Mr Zou. “Sisvel has cultivated strong relationships with Chinese patent owners and other stakeholders over many years. I look forward to deepening these partnerships and exploring new opportunities for Sisvel to power innovation in China.”