Foxconn said on April 1 that it completed its rotating CEO handover, appointing Michael Chinag as the new rotating CEO effective immediately, with Kathy Yang stepping down after completing her term.
The personnel change is part of chairman Young Liu's recent initiative to rotate senior executives, cultivate management talent with a holistic business perspective, and strengthen the group's long-term governance capabilities. Foxconn described the rotating CEO system as more than a job swap; it is a structured method for core executives to gain hands-on experience in operational decision-making and cross-department coordination, turning individual management skills into replicable organizational methods and establishing an institutionalized operating model.
According to the company, the rotation mechanism is intended to develop leadership teams across different business groups with a comprehensive view, reducing reliance on single-point decisions and enhancing overall operational stability. Liu said senior executive training requires direct involvement in management and problem-solving, and that continuous debugging and methodological development improve organizational efficiency, enabling talent growth and system building to advance together. He framed the rotating CEO system as a mechanism to ensure continuity and stable governance during Foxconn's global expansion.
The company highlighted accomplishments during the previous rotating CEO's tenure, referring to Yang's focus on optimizing operational rhythm, advancing corporate governance, and strengthening inter-unit collaboration and critical project execution to boost overall efficiency. Those achievements, Foxconn noted, drew external recognition: Yang was named among Fortune's "Asia's Most Powerful Women" and was selected by Manufacturing Digital as one of the "Top 10: Women in Manufacturing," which the company cited as evidence of the rotating CEO system's effectiveness in developing senior leaders.
The announcement also quoted the new rotating CEO, Chiang, who said the past two years of rotation had clarified the group's governance structure and deepened cooperation between business units and central functions, laying a foundation for future development. Jiang said he will use his business group experience during his one-year term to expand scale and improve profitability while continuing to refine corporate governance, build a more comprehensive management framework, and maintain competitiveness through resource allocation and risk control.
Foxconn noted that Chiang, born in Taiwan in 1966, graduated from the University of California, Claremont with a major in human resource development and organizational strategy management, joined Foxconn in 1999, was assigned to the US to manage personal computer business, and has been involved in coordinating key client operations. Since 2021, he has served as the chief of a business group, responsible for assembly business, including the iPhone.
Article translated by Jingyue Hsiao and edited by Joseph Chen
