Making a Taipei connection

by Martin Moodie |
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Martin Moodie

Martin Moodie

Martin Moodie is the Founder & Chairman of The Moodie Report.

My whirlwind tour of Asia continues, after arriving in Taipei, Taiwan post a couple of tremendous days in Singapore for DFS’s superb Master of Spirits II event.

I flew out of the always excellent Changi T3 (more about that experience in a subsequent blog) into Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport T2.

I’m here to meet one of the individuals I most admire in this business, Ever Rich Duty Free Shop Corporation President Simon Chiang, who, besides his success in industry, ranks as one of Taiwan’s great philanthropists.

In naming Mr Chiang one of The Moodie Report’s People of the Year in 2011, we wrote: “The President of Ever Rich Duty Free Shop Corporation has long been a role model for the way he has championed charitable causes. This year, in Taiwan’s ultimate recognition of Corporate Social Responsibility, the company received the prestigious National Civic Service Award from the Premier of Taiwan Executive Yuan, Wu Den-yih. The award honours individuals and groups that make charitable contributions and promote humanitarian activities.

“Ever Rich was the only with profit institution to earn the accolade. The inspirational Simon Chiang’s words on receiving the award were humble and heartfelt – “Love is the most beautiful thing and practising charity is the most joyful.”

I am very much looking forward to meeting him face to face.

Last night I had an excellent dinner with Patricia Wang of Ever Rich and her husband, Gary Chau of Tasa Meng, Tim Paech Managing Director at Pernod Ricard Taiwan and his partner, and Ai Chun Wu of Pernod Ricard Asia Duty Free. Nice company and a drop or two of good red wine and finally I’ve put paid to the jet-lag horrors of the past few days, an affliction I usually manage to avoid but not this time. Sleep was never so glorious.