New Director General Takes Helm at Taiwan’s Atlanta Office

Larry Tseng (left) and Stephen Chang, director of TECO-Atlanta’s press division. Photo by Trevor Williams.

A new director general took over at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Atlanta on June 30.  

Larry R.L. Tseng, a career diplomat, takes the place of R.C. Wu, who left Atlanta in April to become Taiwan’s ambassador in the Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

A 30-year veteran of public service in Taiwan, Mr. Tseng comes from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei to take up his sixth foreign post, three of which were in the U.S.  

His assignments have included various positions in Taiwan’s embassies in the Pacific island nations of Palau, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. 

In the early 1990s he served in San Francisco, and his most recent U.S. post was a stint from 2003-2005 as deputy director of the consular division of the economic and cultural office in Washington. 

He returns to the U.S. at a dynamic time for Taiwan, especially in its relations with China. 

President Ma Ying-jeou was elected in March with promises to improve diplomatic relations with the mainland that had been harmed by outgoing President Chen Shui-bian’s bold initiatives and statements.

Since then, bilateral meetings have produced agreements to establish direct air links and reciprocal offices in each other’s countries.

Mr. Tseng’s immediate concern will be the Southeast region of the U.S., which has longstanding business ties with Taiwan.

“I believe there is lots of room to improve” the trade relationship, Mr. Tseng told GlobalAtlanta during a recent meeting.

 

Indonesian Envoy Launches Samford Business School Speaker Series

Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat

Indonesia’s ambassador to the United States, Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat, launched a new international speakers series in Birmingham, Ala., when he spoke to some 125 business and community leaders June 25.

The Brock School of Business at Birmingham-based Samford University is sponsoring the series on international business issues. Alabama’s development office also hosted the ambassador’s visit.

Mr. Parnohadiningrat described his country’s economic rebound from the Asian economic crisis of the 1990s, adding that it currently is focused on growing its agricultural industry.

He forecasted that Indonesia would experience a rate of growth of 6.5 percent this year and 7 percent in 2009.

To learn more about the series, call Kara Kennedy, the Brock School’s director of external affairs, at (205) 726-4070.

This article was originally written by Philip Poole, executive director of communications for Samford University.

Agco Hires New Manufacturing and Quality Executive

Duluth-based agricultural equipment manufacturer Agco Corp. has hired Hans-Bernd Veltmaat as senior vice president for manufacturing and quality.

Martin Richenhagen, chairman, president and CEO of Agco, said that Mr. Veltmaat’s hire was part of the company’s drive to develop and train its employees, upgrade facilities and improve manufacturing.

Mr. Veltmaat previously worked as group executive vice president of recycling of Berlin-based waste management and recycling company Alba AG.

Prior to that post, he managed factory openings in India and Russia as group executive vice president of agricultural manufacturer Claas KGaA in Harsewinkel, Germany.