Interesting news at the beginning of the year in the electronic industry, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. just recently announced the appointment of Mr. Sangho Jo as President and CEO of Southeast Asia & Oceania.

A proven Samsung leader with over three decades of experience across business groups and geographies, Mr. Jo will steer the strategic growth directions of Samsung Electronics in Southeast Asia & Oceania.

Markets in Southeast Asia & Oceania are integral to Samsung Electronics’ long-term growth plans, with the region poised to sustain its rapid economic growth into the next decade, built on the digital ambitions of its cities, industries and communities. Mr. Jo will guide the business towards cementing its industry leadership and seizing long-term growth opportunities in this region by forging partnerships, creating operational excellence, and ultimately, building brand trust amongst consumers and enterprises.

He was most recently appointed President and CEO for Samsung Electronics in Europe, where he led the business to achieve sustainable commercial growth and brand favorability in 2020. In the past decade, Mr. Jo has served as President in the following markets: Samsung Electronics Germany (2019), United Kingdom (2015 – 2017), Sweden (2012 – 2014), Austria (2011), Baltic countries (2009 – 2010), and also served as Head of Visual Display business for Samsung Europe based in South Korea (2017 – 2018).

Mr. Jo is not new to the Southeast Asia & Oceania region, having worked in Samsung Electronics Singapore (1997), Vietnam (1998 – 2000) and Malaysia (2007 – 2008). He said: “I am pleased to return to Southeast Asia and Oceania, and lead one of the vibrant leading hubs for Samsung Electronics globally. I look forward to strengthening the strong relationships we have built with our partners and customers here and explore exciting new consumer and commercial partnerships, steering Samsung into the next stage of growth in the region.”

“In an era defined by rapid digital disruptions, we are committed to empowering the digital ambitions of nations, industries and communities in Southeast Asia and Oceania, and to help fulfil the potential of the people here through next-generation technologies,” he added.

TAIWAN, one of the world's competing country with a strong foundation in development and innovations continue to be a better role model for the Philippines in information and communications technology (ICT).  With its status in the global IT supply chain, Taiwan's almost three decades of existence as one of the player, as well as significant partner for many international brands including Apple, google, and Microsoft, earned them a huge success and source of pride in the ICT sector.

Recently, a press conference was held in Marriott Hotel for Taiwan Excellence, where top Taiwanese brands and IoT Business solutions were showcased in the said event.

It was shared that these different companies from Taiwan hold  a significant market shares in semiconductors, PCs, mobile devices, broadband appliances, and display products and technologies. Taiwan is the world’s largest supplier of these products, collectively contributing to over 16% of Taiwan’s total GDP.

With the rise of AI and IoT, Taiwan is shifting from an economy based on high-tech manufacturing, to an economy driven by intellectual property and innovation. Taiwan’s high-tech competitiveness includes top talent, a well-developed industrial chain, and a formidable entrepreneurial spirit. These elements combined enable Taiwan’s ICT industry to leverage today’s trends and pave the way for the technology of the future.

The ‘Taiwan Excellence’ experience, organized by the Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), will provide businesses ranging from small to large from the Philippines a platform to offer the latest IoT innovations, directly from leading Taiwanese IoT solutions providers. This is a great opportunity to consider how these solutions can enhance one’s own business offering.

The participating companies in this year’s Asia IoT Business Platform (AIBP) held at the Marriott Hotel, Manila are: Accton Technology Corp., a best practice awardee for manufacturing quality; Apacer Technology Inc., a leading producer of industrial SSDs, digital consumer products, and memory modules; Aver Information, award-winning education and communication innovators; ICP DAS, an industrial automation technology innovator and enhancer; and, IEI Integration Corp., a leading industrial computer provider.

‘Taiwan Excellence’ is confident in the Philippines’ ability to progress in ICT, as indicated by its IT sector’s steady spending.

“We see progress in the Philippines’ ICT sector and Taiwan will be happy to contribute to this growth and help Filipino enterprises further succeed in their operations,” said Wen-Chung Chang, Director of the Economic Division, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines.

Taiwan is determined to advocate for innovation, improve employment and income distribution, and to create more balanced regional development, by leveraging the immense momentum of many markets, at present.

According to Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD), Taiwan moves up to 16th in global competitiveness, a notch higher from the previous year’s ranking. Furthermore, Taiwan has steadily maintained its place as the 4th most competitive economy in Asia as declared in the 2019 IMD World Competitiveness Ranking. With many software and hardware engineers and technological centers and innovation clusters growing organically throughout major Taiwanese cities, Taiwan is on its way to becoming a major startup hub in Asia, and even internationally.


Just how substantial is the potential global economic impact of IoT?

Citing a research report by McKinsey & Company’s Global Institute, ‘Taiwan Excellence’ said the estimate could range to “$3.9 trillion to $11 trillion a year by 2025”. McKinsey has continued a significant expansion In Taiwan with the recently launched regional industrial IoT hub in Taipei, due to its rapid growth in the past 18 months.

Factories could be the strongest driving force behind IoT’s generated value, followed by cities and health.

Just months after it officially launched its Philippine operations, the Aster Medical and Diagnostics Clinic, owned by Aster DM Healthcare, is revolutionizing how medical services is being offered in the country through the introduction of the electronic medical records (EMR) as part of the value-add to its services. All transactions are paperless, from the moment patients sign in at the reception up to their consultations with the doctor, or different doctors at the clinic.