Advantech begins a new stage of business inheritance with Zhang Jiahao taking over as CEO in 2027

Advantech founder Liu Kezhen will transition to full-time chairman starting from January 1, 2027. (File photo)

[Reporter Fang Weijie/Report from Taipei] Advantech (2395), a leading industrial computer manufacturer, has a sustainable management team succession plan. Founder Liu Kezhen will transition to full-time chairman starting from January 1, 2027. The CEO position will be taken over by Zhang Jiahao, current general manager of the embedded business group. This inheritance symbolizes Advantech's move into a new stage of professional management and organizational upgrading. Through clear strategic division of labor and global operational collaboration, it will continue to strengthen its corporate competitiveness and long-term growth momentum.

Liu Kezhen said that it has been 42 years since he joined and founded Advantech in 1983 at the age of 29. Advantech's current business model and succession team, including the CXO and business group general manager, have basically matured. At this time, it was proposed that the succession of the CEO should follow the trend and meet the needs of Advantech's sustainable development. "After passing on the CEO, I will continue to serve as chairman, focusing on issues such as governance, long-term development and new business investment, and support the new team combination to lead Advantech's continued progress and development."

New CEO Zhang Jiahao joined Advantech in 2007 and has long led the embedded business group to promote edge computing, Edge AI and global industrial ecosystem cooperation. After taking over, he will coordinate the overall operations of Advantech. His first tasks include deepening cross-business group collaboration, integrating the technology and global channel resources of each business group, setting and promoting comprehensive operational goals, and accelerating the commercialization and large-scale development of "Edge Computing & AI-Powered WISE Solutions" solutions.

Zhang Jiahao pointed out that as AI gradually moves from technological innovation to industrial-scale application, the key to future competition will no longer be just a single product, but how to integrate computing platforms, software services, industry knowledge and global service capabilities to create sustainable and expanded business value. Advantech has established solid technology, brand, industry experience and global presence over the past 40 years.

Zhang Jiahao said, "In the future, I will work with the management team to promote the next stage of growth based on this solid foundation." The goal is to continue to deepen cross-business group collaboration and global operational integration, connect Advantech's technology, industry experience and global channel resources, accelerate the large-scale implementation of Edge AI, AI Agent and Physical AI in various vertical industries, and continue to develop emerging industries and product solutions, cultivate new growth momentum, and push Advantech's operating scale, revenue and profitability to new milestones.

In the future, Advantech will further clarify the operational division of labor between the chairman and CEO. The chairman will be responsible for governance, long-term development and new business investment, while the CEO will coordinate group operations, business integration, resource allocation and annual business goals together with the COO and CFO. At the same time, through the WWBO (Worldwide Business Operations) global operations collaboration structure, we will strengthen collaborative operations and decision-making efficiency across business groups and global regions, and establish a business model that takes into account long-term strategic layout and operational execution.