ZDT President Chen-Fu Chien Honored with the 'K. T. Li Management Medal'

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Chen-Fu Chien, President of Zhen Ding Tech. Group, has been awarded the prestigious “K. T. Li Management Medal.” This honor recognizes his long-term dedication and outstanding achievements in decision analytics, smart manufacturing, digital transformation, and industry–academia collaboration. The award affirms his exceptional ability to bridge academic insight with industrial leadership, contributing concretely to Taiwan’s industrial upgrading.

Established by the Operations Research Society of Taiwan in memory of Mr. K. T. Li’s significant contributions to Taiwan’s economic development, the “K. T. Li Management Medal” is one of the most important honors in the field of management in Taiwan. Award recipient James Chien leads the National Science and Technology Council’s Artificial Intelligence for Manufacturing Systems (AIMS) Research Center, driving smart manufacturing and AI-powered transformation.

Deeply committed to academic research and talent development, he has addressed Taiwan’s industrial challenges by proposing theories such as “UNISON Decision,” “Industry 3.5,” and the “Blue Ocean–Blue Lake Strategy.” He has published more than 230 international journal papers, holds 24 invention patents, and has been cited over 13,000 times. He has also been listed among the Top 2% Scientists Worldwide for several consecutive years. His works include Harvard Business School cases on companies such as TSMC and MediaTek, as well as books such as Industry 3.5 and Blue Lake Strategy, which have won the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Golden Book Award and the NSTC Most Influential Research Monograph Award.

Chen-Fu Chien has extensive management and practical experience in both academia and industry. He previously served as Executive Vice President, Secretary-General, and CEO of Industry–Academia Collaboration at National Tsing Hua University (NTHU); led the NSTC’s Science Park Enhancement Program; convened the NSTC Division of Industrial Engineering and Management; directed the “NTHU–TSMC Center for Excellence in Manufacturing”; and was seconded to TSMC as Deputy Director of Industrial Engineering. He currently serves as General Manager of Zhen Ding Technology Group, where he promotes the Group’s digital transformation and AI empowerment. He is also President of the Asia Pacific Industrial Engineering & Management Systems Society, an independent board member of Airoha Technology and Aspeed Technology, and a board member of the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand. His research has been featured in Nature, demonstrating his international impact across academia and industry.

Chen-Fu Chien expressed that Mr. K. T. Li was a technology and economic leader he deeply admired since his student years, and receiving this medal is a great honor. He extended his gratitude to the Operations Research Society of Taiwan for the recognition, to his mentors for their strong support, and to Zhen Ding

Technology Group Chairman Charles Shen for enabling him to transition from semiconductors to PCB and from Taiwan to global strategic leadership. He emphasized that this honor belongs not only to him but also to the mentors who guided him throughout his academic and industry journey, the colleagues of the NTHU Decision Analysis Laboratory, and his family. He pledged to continue pursuing excellence by integrating theory with empirical practice and, with humility and integrity, driving industrial digital transformation and broad-based upgrading so that society can share the benefits of innovation and move toward sustainable development.

Zhen Ding Tech. Group stated that it is proud of General Manager Chien’s achievement. Under his leadership, the company will continue to strengthen digital and smart management, advance ESG initiatives, and deepen industry– academia collaboration. Zhen Ding will keep transforming academic theory and innovation into core corporate capabilities, leading the PCB ecosystem toward intelligent transformation and industrial upgrading.