TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan electronics brand HTC Corporation has appointed Frenchman Yves Maitre as its new CEO, though his predecessor Cher Wang (王雪紅) will stay on as chairwoman of the company.

Maitre hails from telecom company Orange, formerly known as France Telecom, where he served as executive vice president of consumer equipment and partnerships.

In an official statement, Wang said that as CEO over the past four years, she set out to transform the smartphone maker into a force in 5G and extended reality (XR).

Maitre’s appointment, effective immediately, was designed to “embrace the 5G, AI and XR future,” the company’s statement said. Wang described him as a strong leader who had already a long history of contacts with HTC.

The Taiwanese company has seen its market share for smartphones decline, but in contrast has scored high marks for its Vive virtual reality system, reports said.