CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Edison Awards, recognized as one of America's leading innovation awards, today announced that Yang Yuanqing, Chairman & CEO of Lenovo, will be awarded the prestigious Edison Achievement Award on April 30, 2014 in San Francisco. The distinction honors distinguished business executives who have made a significant and lasting contribution to innovation throughout their careers and whose accomplishments serve as inspiration to every industry and to the world at large. This marks the first time ever that an honoree based outside North America has been selected for Edison Awards honors. Lenovo was founded in China and has dual headquarters in Beijing, China, and Morrisville, North Carolina.
Also joining Mr. Yang as a 2014 Edison Achievement Award honoree is Elon Musk, CEO and Product Architect of Tesla Motors and the CEO/CTO of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX).
Mr. Yang has led Lenovo to become the world’s largest PC maker and an emerging PC Plus leader – ranked second in combined PC and tablet shipments and third in smart connected devices (PC+Tablet+Smartphone). He joined Lenovo in 1989 fresh from college with a master’s degree in computer engineering before rapidly ascending to lead the company. He is the principal architect of Lenovo’s global expansion and “global-local” business model, overseeing its acquisition of the IBM PC division in 2005 and spearheading growth to serve customers in 160 markets today with local operations in more than 60 countries, including manufacturing on four continents.
“I am honored to represent Lenovo and receive the 2014 Edison Achievement Award because it recognizes the work of our diverse global team to create innovative products, implement a unique global business model, and help define the future in the PC Plus era,” Mr. Yang said. “Innovation is in Lenovo’s DNA, and it is both part of our foundation and critical to our future. There is plenty of room still for innovation in PCs, tablets, smartphones and other technologies, and I am confident that Lenovo can continue to help lead the way forward.”
"It is truly exciting to have Yuanqing join the ranks of our extraordinary Edison Achievement Award winners and as our first-ever innovation pioneer from outside North America. Yuanqing’s success in turning Lenovo into a global PC Plus powerhouse is a standout achievement in business model innovation," said Hari Nair, Chairman of the Edison Awards Steering Committee. "Lenovo has not only unleashed wave after wave of innovative products, but it has also helped redefine what it means to be a truly global company. Lenovo is blazing a new trail with its products, strategy and culture – and we are proud to honor Yuanqing’s vision and leadership.”
Other past Edison Achievement Award winners include:
- Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, Chairman and CEO, Qualcomm Inc.
- Chris Anderson, TED Curator and Founder of the Sapling Foundation
- Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, Inc.
- Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford Motor Company
- John S. Hendricks, Founder and Chairman, Discovery Communications
- A.G. Lafley, Chairman and CEO, Procter & Gamble
- Martha Stewart, Chairman, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, LLC
- Ted Turner, Vice Chairman, Time Warner
About the Edison Awards™
The Edison Awards is a program conducted by Edison Universe, a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to fostering future innovators. The Awards have been recognizing and honoring the best in innovations and innovators since 1987. They honor game-changing innovations that are at the forefront of new product and service development, marketing and human-centered design, and are one of the highest accolades a company can receive in the name of successful innovation. For more information about the Edison Awards and a list of past winners, visit www.edisonawards.com.
About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a US$34 billion personal technology company – the largest PC maker worldwide and an emerging PC Plus leader – serving customers in more than 160 countries. Dedicated to exceptionally engineered PCs and mobile internet devices, Lenovo’s business is built on product innovation, a highly-efficient global supply chain and strong strategic execution. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the Company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services. Its product lines include legendary Think-branded commercial PCs and Idea-branded consumer PCs, as well as servers, workstations, and a family of mobile internet devices, including tablets and smart phones. Lenovo, a global Fortune 500 company, has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information see www.lenovo.com.
