Right now, we only have boutique-sized
banks, whereas 10 years ago all the banks in
Taipei 101 were big multinational companies.
We have Google and Chinese
company Cheetah Mobile
taking up a couple of
floors. Pharmaceuticals
are really booming
in Taiwan and
we have a
biopharmaceutical
company
coming in.”
Since its
completion in
2004, Taipei 101 has
attracted locals and
tourists from around
the world. In addition to
office spaces, it has an indoor
and outdoor observatory, and a grand
shopping mall. Further, Taipei 101 serves
as an exciting venue for New Year’s Eve
celebrations, putting on dazzling fireworksdisplays that shoot off the tower itself.
Joseph is proud to be associated with this
iconic skyscraper. “We are the ambassadors of
Taiwan,” he says. “Every time I speak with
visitors, tenants or foreign dignitaries, I’m
happy that I can present the best part of
Taiwan. At the same time, we realise this is
a big business, and we need to be profitable
and deliver a good return to our investors.”
Before Taipei 101, Joseph worked as a
professor in the public finance department
of Taiwan’s National Chengchi University.
During that time, he worked closely with
the Ministry of Finance, which managed
Taipei 101 on behalf of the Taiwanese
government, its majority shareholder. “When
the Ministry looked for someone to manage
the company, they called me.”
Joseph enjoys managing the tower and
is impressed by the workmanship of the
millennial generation. “Personally, I think
I’m wearing three hats as the chairman,
chief economist, and principal of the
so-called ‘Taipei 101 Academy’,” he says.“Every time I speak
with visitors, tenants
or foreign dignitaries,
I’m happy that I can
present the best part
of Taiwan.”
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