MengWanzhou

Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, became a cause célèbre in China when she was detained in Canada for nearly three years for allegedly evading U.S. sanctions against Iran. Since her release and triumphant return to China, Meng, who is also the daughter of Huawei’s founder Ren Zhengfei, is now visibly back at work. She made her first appearance at a March earnings meeting in Shenzhen and last month Huawei announced Meng would be given the rotating role of chairwoman of the board for six months. But she must also steer the telecommunications giant through challenging waters ahead: The global semiconductor chip shortage has hit the company’s smartphone business especially hard, and China’s strict zero-Covid lockdowns have only compounded supply chain challenges.