Stephen Borg
Stephen Borg explains that AOPEN’s recent rebranding and repositioning has dramatically shifted the company’s focus and operations in the technology space.
Stephen Borg, Global Director of Strategy and CEO Australia and New Zealand for AOPEN, is building a new kind of global business. He is transforming his company, AOPEN, from a Taiwan electronics manufacturer to the world's leading force in digital signage and retail customer-engagement technology solutions.
It's more than just geographical expansion; it's about expanding AOPEN's mindset and culture to create a new East-meets-West business model that amalgamates the best of Asian ingenuity with the best of Western creativity.
Stephen was hired by AOPEN founder Bernie Tsai to execute his vision of a truly global company. Bernie founded AOPEN in 1996, spinning it off from Acer and taking it public in 2000. It remains part of the US$20-billion Wistron group today, but operates with considerable independence.
With more than three decades of experience in the IT industry, including a stint at Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona, Bernie wanted to break with the traditional channel-focused approach to product development. As CEO, he had made a point of seeing end users as well as the channel. He wanted better insight into what they were doing with technology and what their problems were.