MA-tek Chairperson Hsieh Yong-fen shares: Finding passion and success between vocation and career.

This year, Harper's BAZAAR Taiwan is holding the "BAZAAR at Work Summit" for the third time. Following last year's theme "Dare at Work," this year focuses on "Zest at Work," showcasing the courage of multiple speakers to boldly step out of their comfort zones and break conventions, effectively inspiring women to move forward steadfastly in their work. The forum will feature three different sessions closely tied to the theme, allowing attendees to gain inspiration and insights, and ultimately "find joy in it"! Facing the challenges brought by the new generation one after another, maintaining a good work mindset and emotional management skills, and finding joy in the process is no easy task. How to correctly and effectively "enjoy work" is a compulsory subject for everyone.

Panel 3 is titled "How to Transform Careers into Passions? Can Reality Truly Walk Hand in Hand with Dreams?" and features a discussion among three outstanding female leaders: Tsai Hui-Ching, General Manager of Delta Electronics, Chen Mei-Chi, Chairwoman of Qincheng Industry, and Hsieh Yung-Fen, Chairwoman of MA-tek. They share insights on how to turn careers into passions, allowing reality and dreams to move forward together.

Speaker introduction: Tsai Hui-ching, Chen Mei-chi, Hsieh Yong-fen

Tsai Hui-Ching | General Manager of Syntec Technology

Cai Huiqing, the general manager of Hiwin Technologies Corp., who was once named one of "50 Most Influential Women CEOs in Asia" by Forbes, started her career as a copy editor. After Zhuo Yongcai, the chief editor of Foreign Trade magazine, founded Hiwin Technologies in 1989, he invited Cai Huiqing to be the first employee, opening a new chapter in her life. As Hiwin Technologies gradually stood out in the industry, Cai Huiqing, who did not come from an engineering background, filled in her professional knowledge, particularly focusing on related content, successfully passing the automation professional certification. In 2008, she officially took over as the CEO. In a predominantly male and masculine industry, Cai Huiqing utilized her gentle yet resilient feminine qualities, leading with creativity and daring to challenge the impossible, finding her own stage.

Chen Mei-Chi | Chairman of Chien Cheng Industrial

Qin Cheng was established in 1983, successfully transforming from a trading company to a leading brand in global cloud industry electromechanical integration solutions. Chairperson Chen Mei-Chi has founded Qin Cheng and has since dedicated herself to social contribution projects such as ESG with the management philosophy of "balancing strength and gentleness" and the concept of "connecting for mutual benefit," fulfilling corporate citizenship responsibilities. She has not only been selected as one of the Top 20 Most Influential Women Entrepreneurs in Asia by Forbes in 2024, but has also received recognition in recent years as one of the Top 100 Corporate Leaders in Taiwan by Harvard Business Review and one of the Top 20 Female Chairpersons of Listed Companies in Taiwan.

Hsieh Yong-Fen | Chairman of MA-tek

As the first female PhD from the Department of Materials Science at National Tsing Hua University, Xie Yongfen, the chairwoman of MA-tek, successfully passed the AT&T Bell Labs postdoctoral research program one year after completing her doctorate, marking an important turning point in her entrepreneurial vision. In 2002, Xie Yongfen founded MA-tek and established the first semiconductor materials testing laboratory in the country, also being the first scholar in the world to propose 28-nanometer silicon-germanium compound process analysis. Now in her sixties, she remains energetic, with her eyes sparkling when discussing work, and her indescribably cheerful demeanor instantly brightens the surroundings, conveying the unique warmth and friendliness of women.

How can a vocation become a career?

The three speakers of Panel 3, who are also rare female managers in the technology and machinery industries, have inevitably experienced many setbacks and turning points on their journey to realizing their dreams. At the beginning of the lecture, the three speakers first shared their behind-the-scenes stories and initial intentions of transitioning from "one person" to "a group of people" with the audience. Chen Mei-chi, the chairperson of Chin Cheng Industrial, stated that she has six siblings and came from a family that was not well-off, which made her determined from a young age to improve her family's economic situation if given the opportunity. After moving to Taipei for her studies, she enjoyed participating in clubs and loved the feeling of organizing events and performing happily with a group, which later became her motivation for starting a business: "I want to provide a stage for talented people around me to showcase their abilities and work happily together; that is my dream!" 

MA-tek Chairman Hsieh Yung-Fen shared, "When I said I wanted to start a business, everyone around me strongly discouraged me. Some were afraid I would waste the little money I had earned, and others asked why a girl should compete with boys?" But she believes that dreams should not have gender differences and never felt that being a girl meant she should be given special treatment. Fortunately, a friend's words gave Hsieh Yung-Fen the courage: "He thinks I am someone who can turn wrong things into right ones." She also realized a principle, "Starting a business means taking the harder path and choosing the more difficult topics; only then can your success be less easily surpassed by others."

Finally, the general manager of Hiwin Technologies, Tsai Hui-Ching, invited the audience to close their eyes and step into her dream, experiencing her life journey in an "immersive" way. She recounted her path from independence after leaving home to becoming a text editor, and then moving on to a component factory, stepping onto the world stage. Each experience seemed to respond in different ways to her initial question: What is life? "Life is transformation, it is joy and happiness, and it is also the crystallization of tears; even if it is filled with toil and pressure, one must continue to soar higher."

Adversity Thinking Solutions

However, while achieving dreams sounds exciting, there are inevitably low points and moments of burnout when facing setbacks and challenges. Speaking about how she maintains her passion and endurance, Chen Mei-chi first shared, "I want to thank my mother. I watched her busy like a spinning top since I was young, yet she never forgot to dress beautifully when going out. She taught us from an early age to speak kindly and do good deeds. I believe it is also due to my family environment that makes me want to help those in need. The joy of life lies in having a group of amazing teammates. Although we may not always be first, we have a common goal that we can achieve together. By connecting for mutual benefit, naturally, benefactors will appear." She stated that for employees, a company actually provides a platform for everyone to thrive together, creating a prosperous industrial landscape.

Qualities that leaders should possess

Hsieh Yung-Fen responded, "When you work with such wonderful people, the power of encouragement among each other can also be transmitted to everyone." She also added that to become a corporate leader, if one cannot enjoy the pain in the process, it is difficult to persist. "Chairman Yuu once shared that when selecting core executives, he would take everyone to climb Yushan and observe how each person copes with the most difficult sections before reaching the summit. He wants to choose those who can enjoy this kind of pain." Learning to enjoy pain is essential to feel the happiness that comes with it.

 

Tsai Hui-ching echoed, "Vitality and resilience are qualities that leaders must possess, and these qualities can be trained. The environment will force you to cultivate this resilience. Moreover, such qualities can be infectious. As female leaders, if you can showcase your vitality and resilience, allowing others to feel at ease when they see you, that is the greatest success."

 

 

Why can they find joy in work?

Regarding the theme of this BAZAAR Summit, "Zest at Work," the three speakers each provided their own interpretations based on personal experiences. Chen Mei-chi smiled and said, "Enjoy your work; all challenges are writing your life story." Xie Yong-fen coincidentally stated, "I love my job because I have prepared well in advance, allowing me to do my work well and thus love my job; this is a virtuous cycle." Finally, Cai Hui-qing concluded, "You must believe that whatever happens in life is good, even if it does not appear in the way you like or expect. Perhaps it is opening a whole new window for you, showing you another world. Having such a positive mindset is very important."

※ The above information is extracted from《BAZAAR