May 1 (Reuters) - China's Huawei Technologies

has moved the high-profile chief of its consumer business, Yu

Chengdong, to a new role as chair of the unit, two people with

knowledge of the matter said.

While Yu becomes chairman, He Gang, the consumer business

group's chief operating officer, will take over as the unit's

CEO, the people said. The change was announced internally last

week when it took effect, one said.

Yu has headed Huawei's consumer unit, which includes its

smartphone business, since 2012, a period marked by rapid

growth, a hit from U.S. sanctions to the company's supply chain

and more recently a rebound in sales.

Yu's role as chairman of Huawei's smart car solutions

business, a unit the company has said it intends to spin off

into a new company, is unchanged, the person said.

Huawei did not comment and Yu, also known as Richard Yu,

could not be reached for comment.

No reason was provided in Huawei's internal announcement for

the change, a second person with knowledge of the matter told

Reuters.

The people asked not to be named because they were not

authorised to speak on the matter.

As CEO, Yu would be expected to take charge of business

strategy, and as chairman, he would handle administrative

matters, including personnel, the person said.

Yu is one of Huawei's highest-profile executives. He has

spoken at major industry events and appeared with Chinese

bloggers to pitch products and Huawei's innovation.

In September, Yu appeared at a Huawei product launch where

supporters packed a stadium and chanted "far, far ahead," a

phrase that has gone viral in China to describe Huawei's

competitiveness.

Yu was also central to the launch of a Huawei-backed

electric vehicle, the Aito M7 SUV, which is made in partnership

with Seres Group.

From 2019, the U.S. government has restricted Huawei's

access to American technology, accusing the company of being a

security risk, which Huawei denies.

But last year, Huawei saw its fastest growth in four years,

in part due to a rebound in the consumer segment Yu had headed.

Meng Wangzhou, Huawei's CFO and the daughter of the

company's founder, said last year that Huawei was no longer in

the crisis mode it had entered with U.S. sanctions.