Ambitious Chinese device maker Xiaomi has appointed Hugo Barra (pictured), a former Google executive, to build its product portfolio and business globally.

Barra said: “I’m really looking forward to this new challenge, and am particularly excited about the opportunity to continue to help drive the Android ecosystem”.

Barra was VP of Android product management at Google, having joined the company in 2008. Prior to that, he was a director at speech technology company Nuance.

While its devices have not been made available outside of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, Xiaomi has seen strong growth in the early months of the year.

The company sold 7 million devices in the first half of the year, putting it well on its way to its target of 15 million – especially as it has launched another new smartphone in the meantime.

In addition to hardware, the company has created its own Android variant, MIUI, which apparently has 20 million users.

TechCrunch said that Barra had previously been in a relationship with a Google employee who is now dating Sergey Brin, co-founder of the search giant.

However, the departure was said to be “unrelated” to any personal issues.