Dr Luo Zhongsheng: Vice-President, Coolpad Group
Dr Luo Zhongsheng likes to describe himself as a visionary who can think ahead of the curve. “I have been involved in telecom research for a long time and have always been 5-10 years ahead of the industry,” he says.
He attributes most of his knowledge in the telecom domain to his years at ZTE. “After graduation, I joined ZTE as a telecom engineer. A year later, I was made head of the Advanced Technology Research Department, leading a team of over 160 people. The experience gave me a comprehensive understanding of product, R&D, marketing and strategic planning. In 2004, I became vice-president of the ZTE Group, leading the TD-SCDMA product line. With a team of over 2,500 engineers, we became a top company in this field. In my most recent role at ZTE, as head of overseas markets, I got experience in overseas operations and business model transformation.”
In his current position as vice-president of the overseas business unit at Coolpad, Zhongsheng is responsible for overseeing the company’s product and marketing for markets outside China. He has been associated with Coolpad for over three years now and has ambitious plans for the future. “In the next three years, we will fight for 5 per cent global market share. I have full confidence in our R&D facilities and manufacturing capability. By adopting the right, localised strategy in different regions, I am confident we can achieve our goal,” he says.
Data has replaced voice as one of the highest contributors to operator businesses, he notes. “As a smartphone brand, we have to move with the times and launch products accordingly. Today, smartphones are used more like PCs in terms of CPU speed, memory and battery, and like FMCG products in terms of camera, ID design and entertainment features,” he says.
Aside from his current role in pushing Coolpad to become a global brand, he considers the TD-SCDMA project he undertook at ZTE as a memorable one. “I led the team to finish the project from prototype to physical layer protocol. In eight years, step by step, we gave birth to 3G technology and promoted it from China to the world.”
Zhongsheng has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in physics and a doctorate degree in optical communication. During his spare time, he likes cooking, watching movies and playing tennis. His family comprises his wife and a son, who will start school at UC Berkeley as a math major. “The family has great expectations from him,” he says. s
