The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that Taoyuan Metro Corp chairman Ho Nuan-hsuan (何煖軒) is to become the new China Airlines (CAL) chairman, with an inauguration ceremony scheduled for today.
In addition to Taoyuan Metro Corp, 63-year-old Ho has also served as deputy minister of transportation and communications, as well as director-general of the National Freeway Bureau, Bureau of High Speed Rail and the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA).
Ho’s appointment is expected to secure unanimous approval at a meeting of the company’s board of directors today, in which the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) and other shareholders representing government agencies hold a majority. The inauguration ceremony is scheduled to follow the board directors’ meeting, during which Ho is expected to announce the new CAL president.
Photo: CNA
Industry representatives have predicted that Taiwan Air Cargo Terminal Ltd chairman Hsieh Shih-chien (謝世謙) will assume the post of the airline’s president.
Ho’s first task as the new CAL chairman will be to resolve the company’s disputes with its flight attendants, who on Tuesday night voted to take industrial action against the airline.
Ho said that he is confident he can resolve the dispute and avoid a strike.
Although most of his past experience has involved highway or railway transportation, Ho said that the aviation industry is not completely foreign to him as he was involved in cross-strait negotiations on issues related to direct flights and tourism.
Ho began his career as a law enforcement officer and was a bodyguard of former minister of transportation and communications Clement Chang (張建邦) when Chang served as the Taipei City Council speaker. He then followed in Chang’s footsteps by transferring to the MOTC and worked his way up within the ministry. He was the deputy minister before he left the MOTC in 2009.
Ho’s work ethic and performance at the MOTC garnered mixed reviews from ministry officials, with some of them saying he was an extremely strict and sometimes demanding supervisor.
However, Ho was also credited for his public relations skills, particularly with regard to making sure that the MOTC was in good terms with lawmakers.
During his time as deputy minister, Ho was charged with overseeing the problematic high-speed rail system and to make sure that it could be launched on time. He is credited with salvaging Asia-Pacific Telecom after restructuring the firm that was on the brink of bankruptcy. He also handled labor disputes at the TRA and Chunghwa Post.
Despite these accomplishments, Ho’s career has also been dogged by controversy. He was impeached by the Control Yuan for not confiscating the guarantee fund of approximately NT$1 billion (US$31.07 million at today’s exchange rate) paid by the previous contractor of the Taoyuan Airport Mass Rapid Transit System for failing to fulfill the terms of the contract. Instead, Ho accepted the result of the arbitration and returned the fund to the contractor.
During his term as the National Freeway Bureau director-general, Ho was accused of hiring a helper to take care of his daughter who was reportedly paid by a contractor who operated businesses in one of the national freeway rest areas, which was in violation of a contract with the bureau.
While Ho admitted that he had accepted a special favor from the contractor, the case was dismissed because no evidence was found that Ho intended to protect the contractor.
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