Lenovo Taps Arthur Hu As Solutions & Services Group CTO

The company is bolstering its R&D efforts and Hu will take an active role developing new technologies for the Internet of Things side of the business.

Lenovo Thursday announced that longtime executive Arthur Hu has been appointed to the role of chief technology officer of the Solutions and Services Group (SSG), created last year as part of the company’s broader Internet of Things (IoT) strategy.

Hu will helm the newly formed research and development organization with the SSG, which is responsible for bringing new solutions to market.

Hu will continue to serve as Lenovo’s global chief information officer. He joined Hong Kong-based Lenovo in 2009. “I’m excited to lead this dynamic team that brings together technologists and creators while also taking Lenovo’s Global IT group to the next level as part of SSG,” Hu said in a statement. “New IT will power the next generation of technology services and experiences for consumers and businesses alike, and there couldn’t be a better time to develop innovative solutions for our customers around the world.”

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SSG brought in $1.5 billion in revenue in Lenovo’s most recent quarter.

Joshua Boyd, president and chief executive officer at Computer Pros in Nashville, Tenn., said Lenovo has a good track record of designing devices with channel partners in mind. “Obviously, I hope (Hu) reaches out and finds out what our needs are and what are customers are asking for,” he said. “Lenovo has been pretty good about that and I’m hoping they’ll continue that practice.

R&D has become a top priority for the $60 billion global PC leader. Lenovo earlier this month announced that it would boost its R&D workforce by 12,000. In a February interview with CRN, Lenovo North America President Vladimir Rozanovich said the company’s $2 billion R&D commitment would lead change in the next few years. “There’s going to be a massive investment around making sure we’re building the most secure platforms on the planet and making sure we have the most secure supply chain on the planet.”

SSG falls under the umbrella of Lenovo’s ThinkIot Solutions, it’s Internet of Things (IoT) initiative for retail store solutions. “By integrating the current service teams and capabilities from across the business groups, SSG will be a key driver of transformation for the company by working with the business groups to drive growth across smart verticals, attached services managed services and our as-a-services offerings including DaaS and Truscale,” according to the company’s website.

Prior to joining Lenovo, Hu was an associate principal with McKinsey & Company focused on strategy and technology management to deliver transformation impact in global organizations. He holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in computer science from Stanford University.

Lenovo did not return messages seeking comment.