Dr William Stanton, 司徒文, Founding Director, Center for Asia Policy, National Tsing Hua University 清華大學

President Tsai Ing-wen is about to complete her first year in office, and it has been an eventful one. Souring cross-Strait relations, a controversial push to promote transitional justice, and the introduction of a highly criticized scheme to bring about a 40-hour workweek have all led to a steady decline in her approval ratings since inauguration day. But amid the reversals and setbacks, President Tsai is laying the groundwork for numerous reform efforts, from a new focus on Taiwan's domestic defence industry to programmes aimed at supporting Taiwan's growing elderly population. At this event, jointly hosted by ICRT News and the ECCT, participants will hear from a panel of expert commentators as they reflect on Tsai's first year in office -- the successes, the failures and the too-soon-to-calls -- and also discuss what the future may hold for Taiwan in the coming years under the leadership of Taiwan's first female president.

Dr Shen Fu-Hsiung is an experienced former Taiwan legislator and a sought-after economic and political commentator. He has served on several legislative committees and formerly held key posts in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), namely Executive Director of the Policy committee and Chairman of the Central Review committee. Dr Shen holds a medical degree from National Taiwan University and a PhD from the University of California.

Dr Lee Hong-yuan is a highly distinguished professor of civil engineering at National Taiwan University with decades of experience in public service supporting Taiwan's infrastructure and development including two years as Minister of the Interior under the Ma Administration. A familiar face in Taiwan's national political scene, Dr Lee has been a leading voice for sustainable development and for improvements to the nation's ever-troubled water system. He holds a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Iowa.

Dr William Stanton is a former director for the American Institute in Taiwan, a posting that capped a 34 year diplomatic career in the US Foreign Service. Since 2013, Dr Stanton has served as the founding director at the Center for Asia Policy at National Tsing Hua University, a research centre focused on Taiwan related policy issues. He was awarded the Order of the Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon by Former President Ma Ying-jeou for his years of work supporting and improving relations between the US and Taiwan.

Gavin Phipps helps keep Taiwan's international community informed and up-to-date as a news anchor and the manager of ICRT's News Department. Before joining ICRT he worked for more than a decade covering Taiwan in print media.