He Tingbo, the head of Huawei's semiconductor division, has made a public reappearance after years of working behind the scenes during U.S. technology sanctions.

After seven years working in the shadows, He Tingbo stepped back into the limelight last month. The head of Huawei Technologies’ secretive semiconductor business – widely dubbed the company’s “chip queen” – had been out of the public view since 2019, when Washington severed the Chinese company’s global access to advanced technology, including semiconductors. Her retreat into the background became a symbol of Huawei’s battle for survival. That all changed last month on a global academic stage in....