Twenty-five years ago, not long after her graduation, Sophia Tong's (童至祥) husband encouraged her to write in for the position of planning-and-control analyst at IBM Taiwan Corp.
She was offered the job on the same day as the interview, but at that time she could never have imagined that one day she would take the helm of this 2,000-strong company.
"I think I am a dedicated person who just grabbed the chance at the correct moment," Tong told reporters yesterday during her first media appearance since assuming the role of general manager on Jan. 4.
Her predecessor, Jason Hsu (許朱勝), has been moved to Beijing as vice president of IBM's banking transformation services.
Extensive experience
At IBM, where diversified cultures are acknowledged, talent is used regardless of gender, age or sexual orientation, Tong said.
That was why she beat others to become the first female general manager of IBM Taiwan, said Tong, now in her late 40s.
Her extensive overseas experience, on the other hand, gives her resume an even more impressive sheen.
After working at IBM Taiwan for 18 years, she was transferred to Beijing to take charge of Unix servers in 1999. The same year, she was recommended to become the executive assistant in Tokyo to two former IBM Asia-Pacific presidents, one an American and the other a Japanese.
During that six-month stint, she was lucky enough to learn both the Western and Oriental styles of business management.
Later, she spent four years in China, taking care of the public and financial service sectors.
"Though I was no stranger to the banking industry, the biggest challenge for me was how to transfer my expertise and values to my new colleagues and clients within the shortest possible time," she said.
The experience in China was really beneficial, as she now oversees IBM's Taiwan operations, which also offer services and business solutions to Taiwanese businesspeople working across the Strait.
"It is undeniable that Chinese human resources are cheaper than ours. However, local enterprises must be able to retain their core competencies here, be it in research and development or financial systems," she said.
Chinese firms have a better ability to adapt to rapid changes as they have a stronger sense of urgency, stimulated by the hordes of foreign investors flooding there in recent years, Tong said.
"Taiwanese companies should pay attention to the changes and be aware of the lurking crisis," she added.
IBM Taiwan, which is due to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year with the theme of "Innovating to win," is gearing toward accelerating creativity in the local IT industry.
Globalization
As globalization has become inevitable, embracing change is critical for enterprises when meeting international challenges, Tong said.
"To innovate, they need to invent new products with a strong sense of market movement," she added.
By selling off its personal computer unit -- which was more consumer-oriented -- last year to Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group Ltd (聯想), IBM has decided to move its focus to enterprise solutions and services, Tong said.
In addition, the company this year has plans to recruit 50 more engineers to expand its xSeries Taiwan Development Center, which focuses on research in xSeries servers, she added.
It will also look aggressively for any outstanding undergraduates and postgraduates with the aim of injecting new blood into the company.
"IBM Taiwan has transformed itself from a hardware and software-centric company to its current services-oriented mindset, and it will continue to be a giant that dares to innovate in the future," Tong said.
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