The election of H Henry Chang marks an exciting milestone for the ECCT as it welcomes its first Taiwanese chairperson

For 32 years, the ECCT has acted as an economic and cultural bridge between Europe and Taiwan. The chamber plays an essential role as an advocate for European businesses in Taiwan, connecting its 900-plus members from 400 companies with local industries and with key policymakers in government. Today this alliance is stronger than it has ever been.

The election of its first Taiwanese Chair, H Henry Chang, marks a significant milestone for ECCT as European businesses continue to be the most significant group of foreign investors in Taiwan, accounting for more than US$59 billion in direct foreign investments. Henry has seen first-hand the growth and evolution of ECCT over the years. He joined ECCT as a member in 2003. He was elected to the Board in 2008 and became an Executive Board Member in 2012. Since 2019, Henry has held the position of Vice Chair. He is the 22nd person to serve as Chair of the Chamber.

As Chair of ECCT, Henry brings both deep expertise and unique cross-cultural understanding of doing business in Taiwan. His early connection to Europe began with a study grant to the Universitaet Regensburg in Bavaria, Germany. He has since built a 25-year law career specialising in cross-border investments and corporate compliance in diverse industries including media, technology, automotive, pharmaceuticals, and tourism.

His work advising European businesses in Taiwan began in 1993 when he joined leading global law firm, Baker McKenzie. Founded in 1949, Baker McKenzie is known for being a "Firm of Firsts", having had Christine Lagarde, the current President of the European Central Bank, as its first female global chairperson from 1999 to 2004, and being the first international professional advisory firm to become a Swiss Verein in 2004. In addition to his law career, Henry has taught technology law as an Associate Professor at Soochow University School of Law (東吳大學法學院) since 2008. He is a member of the Taipei Bar Association and is a founding member of the Taiwan chapter of Accademia Italiana della Cucina di Legazione.

Commenting on his appointment, H Henry Chang said:
"I appreciate the support and trust of my fellow directors and members. Our members represent the best of European technology and know-how and we have worked together for more than 30 years to raise our collective profile among Taiwan’s government and industries. This accumulated goodwill, enthusiasm and pride have been instrumental in making ECCT the premier organisation it is today."

"I wish to recognise Giuseppe Izzo for having served twice as Chairman of ECCT. Also, thanks to all directors for making the process transparent and participatory. As 2020 has shown, we live in changing times and it is crucial we continue to adapt and evolve. Once the world’s borders reopen, I look forward to seeing new business opportunities between Europe and Taiwan thrive and existing relationships further strengthened."

Giuseppe Izzo, Managing Director of STMicroelectronics in Taiwan, commented:
"Henry has a long history with the ECCT as a senior member of the board. He is a well-regarded, thoughtful professional and he always tries to reach consensus. With so many Taiwanese companies represented in the chamber's membership, the time is right to have a Taiwanese person in the role of chair. I'm confident Henry will make the chamber even better than it already is."

Jan Hollmann, Managing Director of Bosch Taiwan, commented:
"Henry is experienced, well-recognized and has been a dedicated ECCT board member for many years. I am absolutely convinced that he will be a great representative for the ECCT and its mission. He has the ability to bring people of different backgrounds together, and to communicate and advocate effectively on behalf of the chamber. Most importantly, he is fun to work with. We are all busy people. Henry is someone who makes you want to invest time and make a difference."

Guy Wittich, Former Representative of Netherlands to Taiwan, commented:
"Henry will bring to the chairmanship a wealth of experience. With his long-time serving of the European business community, in combination with his Taiwanese background, I am sure Henry will play an excellent bridging role to further European business interests in Taiwan. I very much enjoyed working with Henry when I was CEO of the chamber. He knows how to get things done, he has a tremendous network of contacts in the public and private sectors, and he has thorough experience in providing direction to the ECCT secretariat."

張瀚書博士 榮膺歐洲商會首位台籍理事長

選出張瀚書法學博士擔任首位台籍理事長，堪稱ECCT劃時代的里程碑

成立32年來，歐洲在臺商務協會(ECCT)，一直是台灣與歐洲文化、經濟交流的橋樑，推動台歐雙邊商務往來不遺餘力，促成了九百位會員、四百家企業、與本土產業和決策官員的密切互動，影響力與日俱增，會務蒸蒸日上。

張瀚書（H. Henry Chang）法學博士榮膺ECCT首位台籍理事長，堪稱劃時代的里程碑。歐洲企業一直是台灣最主要的外國投資來源，目前對台總投資金額達490億歐元 (590億美元)。張博士於2003年加入ECCT，2008年獲選加入理事會，2012年當選常務理事，2019年擔任副理事長，明年上任後，將成為商會的第22任理事長，在過去17年中，見證了ECCT的成長與兌變。

出任ECCT理事長後，Henry將以其淵博的法律專長，與對各國文化的嫻熟，協助會員在台灣經商。他與歐洲的淵源，開始於奪得德國政府獎學金赴德國巴伐利亞(Bayern)地區的雷根斯堡大學 (Universitaet Regensburg) 求學，畢業後從法律工作達25年，專精跨國投資與企業法遵，涵蓋媒體、製藥、旅遊業、運輸與航空等行法律諮詢服務，1993年加入世界頂尖的Baker McKenzie國際法律事務所，開始為歐洲企業提供法律諮詢，並於2007~2012年間，出任營運長之一。成立於1949年的Baker McKenzie，目前在全球46國建立了77間分所，更以「業界第一」馳名，內部人才濟濟，現任歐洲央行總裁Christine Lagarde (拉加德)，曾於1999~2004成為事務所史上第一位女性全球會長。2004年Baker McKenzie赴瑞士註冊，朝更國際化與專業諮詢的法律事務所目標邁進。

除了法律成就外，Henry亦於2008年起，在東吳大學法學院擔任副教授，執教科技法，他是台北市律師公會會員，也是台灣義大利美食協會創始會員。

張瀚書博士當選感言：

感謝全體理事與會員的支持，本會會員代表了歐洲最佳科技與知識，經由過去30年的努力，在台灣政府與產業間，建立了極佳的公眾影響力，累積的好評、熱情與榮耀，都讓ECCT成為今日的頂尖組織。

謹向二度出任理事長的Giuseppe Izzo先生致敬，也感謝理事會舉辦公開公正的理事長遴選。2020是極具挑戰的一年，但我們仍努力調適並積極成長。當全球邊境解封時，我們期待看到台歐間新的商業契機蓬勃發展，既有的邦誼更加穩固。

Giuseppe Izzo尹容（意法半導體台灣總經理暨副總裁）評論：
Henry很早就加入ECCT，更是理事會的資深成員，他備受敬重，而且深思熟慮，總能帶領大家達成共識。商會中有眾多台灣企業，現在正是選出台籍理事長的正確時機，我深信Henry將帶領ECCT更上層樓。

Jan Hollmann顏恆文，博世集團(Bosch) ，台灣區執行董事 評論：
Henry加入ECCT理事會多年，豐富經驗且聲望卓著。我深感同意他將成為ECCT傑出的領導人，上任後將結合不同背景菁英，溝通與推動商會所提出的意見。最重要的是，他很風趣易於共事，我們平日事業繁忙，但Henry是值得花時間相處，並推動改革的好友。

Guy Wittich 紀維德，前荷蘭駐台代表 評論：
Henry的豐富閱歷，將是其擔任理事長的重要資產。他既具台籍背景，又長期為歐洲企業提供服務，深信Henry將成為歐洲企業深耕台灣的重要橋樑。我擔任ECCT執行長期間，與Henry有良好互動，他了解如何運用在公私部門的深厚人脈，達成預訂目標，其全方位的歷練，更將為ECCT會務幹部提供正確的指引。