Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) chairman Jonney Shih (施崇棠) yesterday said he plans to officially hand over his position to chief strategy officer Ted Hsu (徐世昌) in the next one to two years.
This was the first time Shih openly talked about his succession plan, after he invited Hsu, founder of Asustek and former vice chairman of Pegatron Corp (和碩), to return to Asustek in May as chief strategy officer.
“The succession plan has already begun and I plan to complete it within one to two years from now,” Shih told a news conference after Hsu was elected to the company board during the firm’s provisional shareholders’ meeting in Taipei.
Photo: Cho Yi-chun, Taipei Times
Shih, 64, joined Asustek in November 1992 and has been its chairman since 1994.
Shih said the death of Asustek’s former chief financial officer David Chang (張偉明) last year hit him hard, but that was not the reason he planned to pass the baton.
“Asustek is 28 years old, and I have a responsibility to Asustek to find a successor for my position who can lead the company to new heights in the coming decades,” he said.
Shih said Asustek chief executive officer Jerry Shen (沈振來) is the most suitable person to execute the company’s strategies, while Hsu has a strong capacity for evaluating industry dynamics and drafting strategies.
Shih said he would “escort” Hsu through major and minor decisionmaking in the next two years as part of his training, but he would not intervene in the company’s management after he officially hands over his post to Hsu.
However, Shih did not say if he plans to remain on the board after his retirement.
Hsu has been to all of Shih’s meetings since the beginning of May to learn the company’s operations and culture.
Hsu said Asustek employees excel at reaching efficiency, but they lack creativity.
Therefore, he would like to inspire creativity by encouraging employees to think differently and debate ideas, Hsu added.
In the long term, Hsu said he thinks the company should focus on improving craftsmanship, which is the key to differentiating its products from its rivals.
Asustek should also work on utilizing big data, artificial intelligence and deep learning technology for “smart” devices, Hsu said, adding that he would like to see a balanced combination between Asustek’s ZenFone series and its Zenbo robot in the next five years.
Shih said he believes the company made the right moves in designing Zenbo, as it has received a warm domestic and international market reception after it was unveiled last month.
Shih said he is not worried about Zenbo’s sales performance, as it is cheaper than Softbank Corp’s humanoid robot, Pepper.
Zenbo is priced at US$599, while the monthly rental of Pepper is NT$26,888 (US$841.56) in Taiwan.
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