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Big Changes and New Directions Mark AmCham’s 2020 AGM

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Excitement was in the air at the 2020 AmCham Taipei Annual General Meeting, held at the Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel on November 17. As the Chamber’s signature year-end event, it would serve as the platform for announcing that AmCham Taipei would begin the formal process of becoming the more appropriately named American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan in January 2021. To commemorate this momentous occasion, President Tsai Ing-wen delivered the keynote speech.

Election Results

This year’s AGM drew around 230 members and their guests, and voting for the 2021 Board of Governors and Supervisors took place as members arrived. The six Governors voted in for two-year terms were Justin Chin of AstraZeneca Taiwan, Cynthia Chyn of Amazon Web Services, Paulus Mok of Citibank Taiwan, Terry Tsao of SEMI Taiwan, and Daniel Tseng of Corning Display Technologies Taiwan. They join 2020-2021 Governors CW Chin of Applied Materials Taiwan, Timothy Shields of Cigna Taiwan, Brian Sung of Cadence Design Systems Taiwan, Fupei Wang of Ogilvy Public Relations, Roger Yee of Raytheon Taiwan, and Angela Yu of Microsoft. See the election results details here.

Newly elected for one-year terms as Supervisors were Max Chen of Facebook Taiwan, Shelley Chia of Deloitte and Touche, and Seraphim Ma of Baker McKenzie.

Remarks by VIP Guest Speakers

In brief opening remarks as the luncheon meeting began, American Institute in Taiwan Director W. Brent Christensen emphasized that regardless of the results of the recent U.S. elections, Taiwan continues to enjoy broad, bipartisan support in Washington. He also commended President Tsai for prioritizing transparency and safety in Taiwan, and for creating a “safe, stable environment, which has allowed Taiwan’s businesses to flourish in the face of strong global headwinds that are constraining growth in so many other economies.”

In her keynote speech, President Tsai congratulated the Chamber for successfully moving to change its name to AmCham Taiwan, which she said is “a true reflection of its membership.” She said that she believes the organization will “play a crucial and significant role in the development of Taiwan’s partnerships in the future.” She also spoke of Taiwan’s success in containing COVID-19 and its ability to maintain positive economic growth throughout the pandemic without needing to resort to lockdowns.

Lastly, President Tsai acknowledged the great recent strides made in the U.S.-Taiwan relationship, noting Taiwan’s importance as the U.S.’ ninth largest trading partner and 11th largest export market. She also cited the visit to Taiwan in September by Keith Krach, the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, and the resulting U.S.-Taiwan Economic Partnership Dialogue held between Taiwan officials and the State Department in Washington this month.

Tribute to Don Shapiro’s Retirement

Also of significance at this year’s event was Chairperson CW Chin’s announcement that Don Shapiro, AmCham Taipei Senior Director and Editor-in-Chief of its Taiwan Business TOPICS magazine, would be retiring from his full-time position at the end of the year, while continuing in an advisory capacity. Chin and AmCham President Leo Seewald thanked Shapiro for his invaluable contributions to the Chamber and presented him with a commemorative plaque.

Year in Review

AmCham President Leo Seewald and Chairperson CW Chin also summarized the Chamber’s achievements over the past year. View the full presentation below.

2020 Annual General Meeting from The American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei

View the full photo gallery here.

Interested in attending our events? Join us at other upcoming events, click here.

Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

President Tsai Addresses AmCham’s 2019 AGM

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With President Tsai Ing-wen as the keynote speaker, AmCham Taipei’s 2019 Annual General Meeting was held November 19 in the newly redecorated Grand Ballroom of Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza. The President paid tribute to the Chamber’s “key role in advancing Taiwan-U.S. trade relations, and in bringing new investments to Taiwan.”

Some 230 Chamber members and guests attended the luncheon meeting, where voting was conducted for the 2020 Board of Governors and Supervisors. See the announcement of the results here.

The six Governors elected for two-year terms were:

  • Mark Chen of Abbott Laboratories
  • CW Chin of Applied Materials Taiwan
  • Timothy Shields of Cigna Taiwan
  • Gina Tsai of Airbnb
  • Fupei Wang of Ogilvy Public Relations
  • Angela Yu of Microsoft

They join 2019-2021 Governors Al Chang of Deloitte & Touche, Albert Chang of McKinsey, Seraphim Ma of Baker & McKenzie, Jan-Hendrik Meidinger of the Grand Hyatt Taipei, and Paulus Mok of Citibank.

Newly elected for one-year terms as Supervisors were:

  • Mark Horng of Bristol-Myers Squibb
  • Stephen Tan of International Policy Advisory Group
  • Terry Tsao of SEMI Taiwan

In her speech, President Tsai also thanked AmCham for helping to “remove many obstacles for U.S. companies investing and operating in Taiwan.” She said the government listens closely to the suggestions of AmCham members and responds to their concerns, citing the recent implementation of a Patent Linkage System for pharmaceuticals as an example. See her full remarks here.

Tsai stressed her administration’s determination to build a new economic development model for Taiwan, one that will “transform Taiwan into Asia’s high-end manufacturing and R&D center, a regional financial and wealth management center, and a base for high-quality talent.”

The meeting also included a State of the Chamber 2019 report by Leo Seewald, who served as the AmCham Taipei chairman for most of the year. He highlighted the Chamber’s recent achievements, including receiving the 2019 Corporate Community Leadership Award from the Community Services Center for “exceptional leadership, service, and commitment to Taiwan.”

Seewald also presented the first annual Outstanding Committee Co-chair Awards to Joyce Lee of the Public Health Committee and Dylan Tyson of the Insurance Committee.

Interested in attending our events? Join us at other upcoming events, click here.

Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

New Board Members Elected at 2018 AGM

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Five candidates were elected to a two-year term on the Board of Governors, and three to a one-year term as Supervisors, at the AmCham Taipei’s 2018 Annual General Meeting at the Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza hotel on November 20. About 170 AmCham members and guests attended the luncheon meeting.

The newly elected Governors to serve in 2019-2020 are:

  • Al Chang of Deloitte & Touche
  • Albert Chang of McKinsey & Co.
  • Seraphim Ma of Baker & McKenzie
  • Jan-Hendrik Meidinger of the Grand Hyatt Taipei
  • Paulus Mok of Citibank Taiwan

The 2019 Supervisors will be:

  • Vincent Shih of Microsoft Taiwan
  • Terry Tsao of SEMI Taiwan
  • Dylan Tyson of Prudential Life Insurance

The in-line candidates for Governor are Leo Seewald of BlackRock Investment, Petra Jumpers of Eli Lilley & Co., and Joyce Lee of Amgen Taiwan, while Carl Wegner of R3 is the alternate candidate for Supervisor.

At the start of the meeting, AmCham Chairman Albert Chang outlined some of the Chamber’s outstanding achievements during the past year. These included record levels of success in resolving White Paper issues, a revamped Business Climate Survey, and the speech by Deputy U.S. Secretary of State Alex Wong at the Hsieh Nien Fan banquet, generating extensive domestic and international media coverage.

The guest speaker at the luncheon, Director Brent Christensen of the American Institute in Taiwan, called attention to the numerous areas of close cooperation between the United States and Taiwan, including:

  • The Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF), a partnership to demonstrate and share Taiwan’s strengths and expertise with other countries, which has held numerous exchanges and workshops on a wide variety of subjects.
  • The U.S. granting of visa waiver to Taiwan, plus its own Global Entry program, which has enabled the volume of two-way travel to surpass one million people a year.
  • The growing interest by Taiwanese companies in investing in the United States, as shown by Taiwan having the largest single delegation at the SelectUSA summit this year.
  • The U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy, which is opening increased opportunities for cooperation in such areas as infrastructure, energy, and the digital economy, in sync with the Taiwan government’s New Southbound Policy and 5+2 Innovative Industry program.

Christensen also referred to Vice President Mike Pence’s October 4 speech on U.S. China policy which praised Taiwan as a model for democratic development for the Chinese people. The AIT Director cited three areas where Taiwan is well-positioned to demonstrate a leadership role as a responsible member of the international community:

  • Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection. Taiwan has made great improvements in this area, and IPR cooperation has now become a hallmark of the bilateral relationship, he said.
  • Regulatory transparency. Whereas Taiwan had a relatively opaque rules-making regime just a few years ago, it has since become a model by adopting a 60-day notice and comment period, enabling stakeholders to participate in the process.
  • Science-based regulation. It should be standard practice to base regulatory decisions on scientific evidence.

View the full photo gallery here.

2017 Annual General Meeting

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AmCham Taipei held its Annual General Meeting on November 21 at the Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel. Members and guests gathered to vote for the upcoming year’s Board of Governors and changes to the Chamber’s Articles of Association. More than 160 AmCham Taipei members and guests attended the event, including chief executives and senior management-level officers from various industries.

Opening the session were remarks by AmCham Taipei Chairman, Albert Chang, who thanked the Chamber’s current Board for their services and introduced the board candidates for 2018.

Director Kin W. Moy of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) also spoke, expressing his appreciation for the partnership with AmCham on policy issues, regulatory matters, and programs that support bilateral economic relations between Taiwan and the United States. Before introducing Vice President Chen, Director Moy touted the expansion of the United States’ Global Entry program to residents of Taiwan and noted the simultaneous opening of Taiwan’s e-Gate program to U.S. passport holders.

Remarks by Vice President Chen

This year, AmCham Taipei was honored to have Dr. Chen Chien-Jen, Vice President of the Republic of China, as our special guest speaker. Vice President Chen expressed his thanks for the Chamber’s efforts as both an advisor and facilitator in strengthening business ties between Taiwan and the United States. He also said that the “Chamber’s annual Doorknock Trip to Washington is an invaluable communication channel between Taiwan and the U.S.”

Vice President Chen stressed Taiwan’s integration into the global economy and highlighted government policies that could benefit both Taiwan and the U.S:

  • 5+2 Innovative Industries & New Southbound Policy to promote domestic and regional prosperity through the Asia-Pacific. The 5+2 Innovative Industries initiative focuses on green energy, biomedicine, smart machinery, national defense, and an Asian Silicon Valley, as well as new agriculture and the circular economy. At the same time, the New Southbound Policy will benefit businesses in Taiwan and provide opportunities to develop new markets.
  • Taiwan-US bilateral trade agreement to enhance partnerships and foreign relations efforts by reducing trade barriers and facilitating more investment, while creating more job opportunities.

Year in Review

Albert Chang summarized the Chamber’s achievements and progress on resolving key issues over the past year. View the full presentation below.

Election Results

AmCham Taipei conveys our sincere thanks to all of our voting members who attended and offered their support. With your help, we reached a quorum and held a successful election.

The Board structure page on our site will be updated in January to reflect the status of incoming and outgoing Board members. A brief summary of results follows – you may download the complete announcement by clicking here.

2018-2019 Governors (Name, Company)

  • Anita Chen, Google Taiwan
  • Chyi-Woei Chin, Micron Tech Asia Pacific Taiwan
  • Edward Shober, Versum Materials Taiwan Co., Ltd.
  • Joanne Tsai, FOX NETWORKS GROUP
  • Daniel Tseng, Corning Display Technologies Taiwan
  • Fupei Wang, Ogilvy Public Relations

2018 Supervisors (Name, Company) 

  • Petra Jumpers, Eli Lilly and Company (Taiwan), Inc.
  • Joyce Lee, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Taiwan) Ltd.
  • Timothy John Shields, Cigna Taiwan Life Assurance Company Ltd.

Congratulations to the winning candidates, and heartfelt thanks to all who supported the Chamber by participating in the election.

Chairman Albert Chang presents a gift to express the Chamber’s appreciation to President Andrea Wu.

Tribute to Outgoing President Andrea Wu

The Annual General Meeting was also an opportunity for the Chamber to present a gift and express its appreciation to Andrea Wu, who will be stepping down as president on December 31 after more than nine years in the position to devote time to family and travel. A video was shown of Andrea’s participation in AmCham events over the years, and Albert Chang praised her achievements on behalf of the Board and the membership as a whole. In brief remarks, Andrea expressed her gratitude to the Board for its support over the years and thanked the dedicated office team for their contributions.

Chang also announced that the search committee had already selected a highly qualified successor as president, who is expected to take office in January.

2016 Annual General Meeting

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On Tuesday, November 22, AmCham Taipei held its 2016 Annual General Meeting, where members and guests gathered to vote for the next year’s Board of Governors, as well as changes to the Chamber’s Articles of Association.

AmCham Chairman Dan Silver delivers the 2016 Year in Review Presentation at the Annual General Meeting

AmCham Chairman Dan Silver delivers the 2016 Year in Review Presentation at the Annual General Meeting

Year in Review

Following President Andrea Wu’s opening remarks, Chairman Dan Silver delivered a presentation summarizing the Chamber’s collective achievements, milestones and activities from the past year. View the full presentation below.

Keynote Speech

This year, we were honored to have Mr. Robin Ren, Vice President and Head of Asia Pacific at Tesla Motors, as our keynote speaker. Ren passionately explained Tesla’s vision for a sustainable future to guests in attendance, highlighting the achievements of Elon Musk’s automotive enterprise and calling for a collective effort to create a cleaner and greener world through technological advancement.

Robin Ren, Vice President and Head of Asia Pacific at Tesla Motors, gives a talk on Tesla's vision for a sustainable future to guests at the 2016 AGM.

Robin Ren, Vice President and Head of Asia Pacific at Tesla Motors, gives a talk on Tesla’s vision for a sustainable future to guests at the 2016 AGM.

 

Election Results

We give our sincere thanks to all of our voting members who attended and offered their support. With your help, we reached a quorum, and held a successful election.

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The board structure page on our site will be updated in January to reflect the status of incoming and outgoing board members. A brief summary of results follows – you may download the complete announcement by clicking here.

2017-2018 Governors (Name, Company)

  • Sammy Carolus, Grand Hyatt Taipei
  • Albert Chang, McKinsey & Company, Inc.
  • Margaret Driscoll, Eli Lilly and Company (Taiwan), Inc.
  • Tim Ju, Ford Lio Ho Motor Co., Ltd.
  • Seraphim Ma, Baker & McKenzie
  • Rodney Morgan, Micron Tech Asia Pacific Taiwan
  • Vincent Shih, Microsoft Taiwan Corp.

2017 Supervisors (Name, Company) 

  • Anita Chen, Independent Marketing & Research Limited
  • Nick Chen, DHL Express (Taiwan) Corp.
  • Bimal Kapoor, National Basketball Association
  • Carl Lin, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Ltd.
  • Raghavendra Shenoy, Johnson & Johnson Medical Taiwan Ltd.
Current board members, along with Chairman Dan Silver, President Andrea Wu, present guest speaker Robin Ren of Tesla with a token of appreciation following his keynote presentation.

Current board members, along with Chairman Dan Silver, President Andrea Wu, present guest speaker Robin Ren of Tesla with a token of appreciation following his keynote presentation.