Asustek Computer Inc’s (華碩) board yesterday approved the appointment of a former Intel Corp sales and marketing regional head as the company’s new chief operating officer (COO), as part of the company’s corporate restructuring as it attempts to fend off operational headwinds.
Jerry Tsao (趙允明), former vice president of Intel Asia Pacific and Japan’s regional sales group, will take up the position on March 5, Asustek said in a statement.
“With this appointment, the company aims to leverage Tsao’s international experience and industry expertise to further bolster Asustek’s competitive position,” Asustek spokesman Nick Wu (吳長榮) said by telephone.
Tsao, who spent 20 years at Intel, served as the main liaison between Intel and Asustek from 2010 to 2016, before he was selected to head the sales group, Wu said.
Tsao will be responsible for operational planning, new business planning and improving the management system, Wu said, adding that he is to report to Asustek chief executive officer Jerry Shen (沈振來).
S.Y. Hsu (許先越), who oversees the company’s personal computer business, and Samson Hu (胡書賓), who heads Asustek’s global customer service center, are to step down from their shared post of chief operating officer when Tsao takes up the position in March, Wu said.
Asustek started its corporate restructuring program two years ago.
Asustek chairman Jonney Shih (施崇棠) in April 2016 asked former Pegatron Corp (和碩) vice chairman Ted Hsu (徐世昌) to be the company’s chief strategy officer, a newly created role, mainly to help outline a long-term growth plan for the company.
In May last year, the company set up a new business unit for gaming products in hopes of boosting growth and in July last year, it transferred hundreds of employees from existing business units to a newly created “talent pool.”
The “talent pool” aims to give employees more flexibility in developing software, hardware, quality control and management, the company said, dismissing rumors that it was laying off employees by transferring them to the unit.
The company’s combined net profit in the first three quarters of last year plunged nearly 20 percent annually to NT$11.49 billion (US$394.17 million), company data showed.
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