Here’s what you need to know about HTC’s new CEO, Cher ng

BY GreenBot Staff

Published 20 Mar 2015

Unless you’ve been under a rock all morning—or don’t care too much about the “inside baseball” business news of tech companies—HTC appointed co-founder Cher ng as its new CEO. Before we get into whether this is a smart move on the company’s part, let’s get to know ng a little better.

She’s spent a lot of time in the Bay Area

ng studied abroad at The College eparatory School in Oakl, Calif. graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1981 with a degree in economics.

She’s started quite a few companies

Not only did ng help start HTC in 1997, but she also helped found the motherboard processor company VIA in 1987. It’s still the world’s largest independent manufacturer of motherboard chipsets her husb is the CEO. Her Bloomberg profile states that she was also the driving force behind First International Computer (FIC)’s entry into the motherboard space. She’s also helped establish a number of other successful IT-related businesses.

She serves as a Chairperson for several companies

ng currently serves as the Chairwoman of HTC America, as well as the Acting Chairperson of its parent company, High Tech Computer (HTC) Corporation. She’s an Acting Chairperson at VIA Technologies, too. There’s no word on whether this will change because of her new position. 

She’s a philanthropist

In 2011, ng donated $28 million to the Guizhou Forerunner College, a charitable college in southwest China. The not-for-profit institution helps helps provide three years of free or low-cost education to students from low-income families.

ng has also made significant donations to her alma mater, including funding to support one particular prestigious award given to researchers who make considerable contributions to the world of condensed-matter physics. She’s also donated to the psychology departments at both UC Berkeley Tsinghua University in Beijing, in 2012, she provided 6,000 HTC Flyer tablets to 60 high schools in Taipei.

She’s the 54th most powerful woman in the world

According to Forbes, at least, which also gave her title of Most werful man in reless in 2011. CNBC also named ng one of the 25 people to have the most profound impact on business finance since 1989.

She could do a lot for HTC

I don’t know what exactly went on between executives, or why Chou was swapped out for ng. HTC claims that ng became “increasingly involved in the running of various aspects of the business,” so it seems like it was a natural move.

Still, I think that this is a good move for HTC. ng has been a longtime proponent of exping HTC’s business beyond smartphones. In 2011, she’d mentioned that she hoped the company could be more than just a phone maker. That plan seems to be underway, as HTC is now trying its h within the gaming, photography, fitness industries, with more non-phone products to come. ng’s financial chops rampant optimism may finally help the Taiwan-based company stay on the upswing.