(Yicai Global) June 27 -- Unisoc Shanghai Technologies, the biggest independent designer of smartphone chips in the Chinese mainland, has announced its latest senior management reshuffle, with Ma Daojie, executive vice president of parent firm Tsinghua Unigroup, becoming its chairman.

Ma’s years of experience as a senior executive in telecom businesses will play a positive role in the future development of Unisoc, Tsinghua Unigroup said in an statement posted on its website today.

A source told Yicai Global that Ma’s knowledge of the semiconductor industry and initial public offerings will also help Shanghai-based Unisoc with its stock market listing plans and efforts to expand in the future.

Born in 1964, Ma has worked as executive vice president, president, and chairman of Unigroup Guoxin Microelectronics, a listed firm under Tsinghua Unigroup, since December 2017. He was also a senior executive at China Unicom Group, China Telecommunications Group, and Lenovo Group before joining Tsinghua Unigroup.

Ma stepped down from the post of president at Unigroup Guoxin Microelectronics but continued as chairman and in other roles, the firm said on May 10. It is not yet known whether he will remain chairman of Unigroup Guoxin Microelectronics after he assumes that post at Unisoc.

Tsinghua Unigroup has been adjusting business structure and personnel at its subsidiaries since being rescued from bankruptcy last year. Wu Shengwu, who was made chairman of Unisoc in February last year, will return to Tsinghua Unigroup as executive vice president, it said.

Unisoc had about an 11 percent share of the global market for smartphone chips last year, ranking fourth far behind industry leaders Qualcomm and MediaTek, per data from Counterpoint Research.

Unisoc plans to invest in the Internet of Things, auto electronics and smart displays, and aims to become a leader in new generation telecom technologies, Wu said at the firm’s investor meeting in February. It also started a fundraising round the same month, Reuters reported, with plans for an eventual China listing.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Tom Litting