Cher Wang
| Cher Wang | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | September 14, 1958 |
| Nationality | Taiwanese |
| Ethnicity | Han |
| Citizenship |  Republic of China |
| Education | Berkeley，1981 |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Years active | 1997-present |
| Employer | HTC, VIA Technologies |
| Known for | Contributions to HTC and VIA; creating a fairly early model of smart phones in 1997 |
| Home town | Taipei, Taiwan |
| Net worth | 8.8 billion |
| Partner(s) | Chen Wen-Chi, Chimu Lin |
| Parents | Wang Yung-ching Jiao Yang |
| Relatives | Cherlin Wang |
| Awards | Forbes World's Billionaires list, 2010, 2011, 2012; Forbes World's Most Powerful Women list, 2012 |
Cher Wang (traditional Chinese: 王雪紅; simplified Chinese: 王雪红; pinyin: Wáng Xuěhóng; September 14, 1958) is a Taiwanese entrepreneur and philanthropist born in Taipei, Taiwan. As co-founder and chairperson (since 2007[1]) of HTC Corporation—which manufactures one out of every six smartphones sold in the United States—and integrated chipset maker VIA Technologies, she has been called the pride of Taiwan[2] and is considered one of the most powerful and successful women in technology.[3] Wang's father was Wang Yung-ching,[4] founder of the plastics and petrochemicals conglomerate Formosa Plastics Group and one of the wealthiest individuals in Taiwan before his death in 2008.
Contents |
Education [edit]
Wang studied abroad at the College Preparatory School in Oakland, California, and went on to receive her master's degree in economics[5] from the University of California, Berkeley in 1981.
Career [edit]
She joined First International Computer (FIC) in 1982.[6] Wang and others founded VIA in 1987 and HTC in 1997. In May 2011, Forbes ranked her with husband Wen Chi Chen as the wealthiest person in Taiwan, with a net worth of US$8.8 billion.[7] In August 2012, Wang was named #56 on Forbes' list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women.[8]
Philanthropy [edit]
In 2011 Wang donated US$28.1 million to help found Guizhou Forerunner College, a charitable college in southwest China set up by VIA Technologies' non-profit Faith-Hope-Love Foundation.[9] The not-for-profit college aims to provide three years of free or low-cost education to students from low-income families. Wang has stated that if the college proves successful she may well set up additional similar institutions in other parts of the country.
Wang has also made significant donations to the University of California, Berkeley, including funding to support and enhance the prestigious American Physical Society's Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize, given to researchers who make considerable contributions to the field of condensed-matter physics.[10]
Wang and Chen also provide funding to support a collaborative program between the psychology departments at UC Berkeley and Tsinghua University in Beijing.[11] The Berkeley-Tsinghua Program for the Advanced Study in Psychology aims to create and support collaborative, psychological research between faculty and students from both universities.
In August 2012 Wang donated 6,000 HTC Flyer tablet PCs to 60 high schools in Taipei.[2]
Personal life [edit]
Wang is a devout Christian and avid philanthropist who prefers to stay out of the limelight despite her many accomplishments.[6] Her husband is Wen Chi Chen, the CEO of VIA Technologies. She has two children.[6]
References [edit]
- ^ "Executive Profile: Cher Wang". Businessweek. Retrieved 05 March 2013.
- ^ a b "HTC's Cher Wang ranked 56th on Forbes' list of powerful women". Watch China Times. 2012-08-24. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
- ^ "Most Influential Women in Technology 2011 - Cher Wang". FastCompany. Retrieved 10 Janurary 2013.
- ^ Kovac, Matt (2005-07-11). "Taiwan's Priestess of The PDA". Business Week. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
- ^ Adams, Jonathan (2010-03-03). "Strain on HTC From Apple Suit Is Likely to Be Long-Term". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ a b c Holson, Laura (2008-10-26). "With Smartphones, Cher Wang Made Her Own Fortune". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
- ^ "Taiwan’s 40 Richest". Forbes. 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
- ^ "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women". 2012-08-22. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
- ^ Cheng-yen, Han (2011-09-24). "HTC's Cher Wang opens vocational school in Guizhou". Want China Times. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
- ^ "Buckley Prize Receives Major Donation from Taiwanese Company". APS News. November 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
- ^ Anwar, Yasmin (2010-07-15). "UC Berkeley psychologists bring science of happiness to China". US Berkeley News Center. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
