Minister of economic affairs-designate J.W. Kuo (郭智輝), chairman of semiconductor raw material and equipment supplier Topco Group (崇越集團), has been dubbed a "slashie entrepreneur" in the business sector after developing multiple careers.
Kuo, 71, was tapped by premier-designate Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) to join the Cabinet on Tuesday to succeed incumbent Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) after president-elect William Lai (賴清德) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) takes office on May 20.
In addition to his involvement in the semiconductor business building Topco Scientific Co (崇越科技), a supplier to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電), Kuo has also engaged in food freezer equipment imports and even raised perch.
Photo: CNA
While selling perch to restaurants, Kuo set up Anyong Biotechnology Inc (安永生物科技), adopting management expertise he used in the semiconductor industry to manage a fresh food supply chain.
Kuo was born into a civil servant family in Pingtung County in 1953. Before starting his own business, Kuo turned down an opportunity to work as a top assistant to the head of a chemical company, which paid more, preferring to take an offer from a trading company as a salesperson after completing his military service.
While working for the trading company, Kuo was in charge of importing goods from Japan and learned the Japanese language in his spare time, becoming fluent in just two years.
With his fluency in Japanese, Kuo served as an interpreter and driver for Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) and accompanied Gou to Japan on business trips.
Kuo then took a stake in Topco trading company, the predecessor of Topco Group.
Kuo has said he is optimistic about the healthcare industry and hopes to build a strong alliance to compete, which echoes Lai's advocacy for a "healthy Taiwan."
After more than three decades in the business sector, Kuo is currently the director of the Taiwan Eastbound Alliance - Landing America, a supervisor at the Chinese Professional Management Association, and a director at the Institute for Biotechnology and Medicine Industry.
In 2020, Kuo was named one of the top 100 best-performing CEOs in Taiwan by the Harvard Business Review.
Commenting on Kuo's appointment, Taipei Computer Association chairman Paul Peng (彭双浪) said the incoming minister has a better understanding of industrial development in Taiwan because he comes from the business sector.
Peng said he is upbeat about Kuo working as the economics minister.
National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises chairman Lee Yu-chia (李育家) said he hopes Kuo will assist local industry to speed up industrial transformation and embrace net zero emissions.
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