ITU names Zhao as next secretary-general

Houlin Zhao

The ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Busan, Korea has elected Houlin Zhao as the organisation’s next secretary-general.

Chinese national Zhao, who won the election unopposed, will take office on January 1 for a four-year term, with the possibility of re-election for one additional four-year term. He is currently ITU deputy secretary-general, a post he has held since 2007.

Zhao was previously a two-term holder of the post of Director of the ITU’s telecommunication standardisation bureau.

Zhao told conference participants that we would do his best to “fulfil ITU’s mission, and, through our close cooperation, ensure ITU delivers services to the global telecommunication and information society at the highest level of excellence.”