Although newly appointed AmCham Taiwan President Carl Wegner is a recent arrival to both the Chamber and Taiwan, he is a stranger to neither. A veteran executive with more than three decades of leadership in banking, fintech, and trade, Wegner began his career in Taiwan’s furniture export sector before joining Bank of Boston. He later held senior roles at Standard Chartered and Deutsche Bank, overseeing transaction banking and regional integration across Greater China and Southeast Asia.
Most recently as CEO of the blockchain trade platform Contour, he led efforts to build a global network linking major banks and multinational corporations. Fluent in Mandarin, Wegner has lived and worked in Taipei, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, and Singapore, and previously served on the boards of AmCham and the Taipei American School.
TOPICS Senior Editor Julia Bergström sat down with Wegner to discuss his unconventional career path, leadership philosophy, and the role he sees the Chamber playing in Taiwan’s evolving business landscape. An abridged version of their conversation follows.
You’ve returned to both AmCham and Taiwan after years abroad. What drew you back at this particular moment?
I was intrigued by the importance of AmCham’s role right now. Given global tensions and the shifting geopolitical environment, having an organization that serves as a trusted bridge between Taiwan and the international community is more essential than ever. After starting in my new role, I immediately noticed that the Chamber is far larger and more sophisticated than when I was last involved – it’s an impressive development.
It also felt like the right moment to return to Taiwan. I’d been living in Singapore, which was great for gaining perspective. But after more than 20 years in Taiwan, being away gave me a new appreciation for what makes this place special – the mountains, the food, the people. It was time to come home and contribute in a way that draws on everything I’ve learned throughout my career.
Your decision to study Chinese was quite unusual at the time. What sparked your interest in the language, and what first brought you to Taiwan?
My interest in Chinese began with my father, a theater professor and self-taught linguist who explored plays in multiple languages. His fascination with Japanese theater eventually led him to classical Chinese, which he passionately shared with me. When I was in middle school, he enrolled me in a weekend Chinese class for kids at Princeton University. I didn’t learn much then, but it sparked my curiosity.
I later majored in Chinese at Georgetown – one of the few American programs of its kind back then – and did a one-year intensive Chinese language study program in Taiwan in 1983. China had yet to open its doors to language immersion. After graduating from Georgetown in ’85, I did translation work before joining a furniture import-export company. I decided to move back to Taiwan to look for work through a Taiwanese agent who eventually hired me to work for her company.
Back then, we were calculating landed costs by hand on oversized A5 sheets – this was before Excel existed. One of my main tasks was using a ruler to draw columns and rows so we could manually calculate things like how the cost of a shipment divided across 400 chairs in a container. It was very hands-on, but it gave me a strong foundation in international trade and logistics.
How did you transition from trade into banking, and eventually into leadership roles across Asia?
After working in furniture exports, I was sent to Jakarta to help establish a factory producing director’s chairs for major U.S. retailers. Once the factory was up and running, the company let me go since I’d completed the project I’d been hired for. Around that time, I came across a job listing in the AmCham newsletter. Bank of Boston was looking for someone who spoke Mandarin and was willing to travel. I applied and got the job, so in a way, AmCham helped launch my banking career.
That job took me to Hong Kong and later helped open offices in Beijing and Shanghai. I then joined Standard Chartered, which brought me back to Taiwan in 1997. Three years later, I transitioned into early FinTech with TradeCard, developing a cloud-based trade finance platform connecting global brands with Asian factories. I later returned to banking, helping integrate Hsinchu Bank post-acquisition and then leading transaction banking at Deutsche Bank for Greater China based in Shanghai. In 2016, I pivoted to blockchain and after setting up R3 in Asia, was chosen to commercialize a product, becoming the first employee and CEO of Contour, a trade finance platform. After building the business in Singapore and selling it in 2024, I returned to Taiwan for this unique opportunity.
How have these varied experiences across sectors and geographies shaped the way you lead?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is the value of great mentors and patient teachers. I’ve been lucky to have had both. Through my work in blockchain, for instance, I had the chance to learn directly from someone who built the first mobile Bitcoin wallet. What made the biggest difference wasn’t just his knowledge, but his willingness to explain things slowly, clearly, and without ego.
That’s something I’ve carried with me. No matter how complex the subject, you can learn anything – provided you find someone who truly understands it and is willing to teach. But that also requires the humility to admit when you don’t know something. For me, humility and a willingness to ask questions are at the core of how I lead.
Right now I’m focused on listening and learning. While I’ve been involved with AmCham before – as a board member and treasurer about 15 years ago – this is a very different role, and the organization has grown dramatically in both scale and professionalism.
What are your top priorities for your first year as AmCham Taiwan President?
The team has been running smoothly, and there’s no need to change what’s already working well. Stability is my immediate focus – understanding the organization, its people, and where there may be opportunities to grow. As geopolitical and supply chain developments continue to accelerate, AmCham has an important role to play, and part of my job is to ensure we’re prepared to step up when needed. That means creating space for team members to take on new responsibilities, identifying areas where we can expand our reach, and staying adaptable to the shifting environment.
It’s a big Chamber, and that can be daunting, but I genuinely enjoy connecting with people and building relationships. Many friends from my earlier years in Taiwan have already reached out since the announcement. I hope others will, too, whether to join the Chamber, contribute to our work, or simply share a story that helps us better understand the business community we represent.
What would you identify as Taiwan’s unique strengths?
Taiwan’s biggest asset is trust. Whether you’re talking about smaller OEM partners or a giant like TSMC, there’s a fundamental confidence that sensitive information and intellectual property will be treated with care. In the more traditional apparel industry, even when production moved to Cambodia or Vietnam, Taiwan-based companies remained the hub because they were trusted to manage it well.
I’ve worked in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Taipei, and that difference is perceptible. Taiwanese companies often have to work a little harder to prove themselves, but that effort builds long-term partnerships.
There’s also a strong sense of fairness here. I remember when I was selling enterprise software in Greater China. In China, buyers were eager to get their hands on the latest tech, no matter the cost. In Hong Kong, raising prices was almost impossible. But in Taiwan, SMEs would respond with, “We’re both small businesses – we understand you need to make money too.” Their only condition was that prices remain consistent across competitors. That balance of fairness, collaboration, and sustainability makes Taiwan an ideal ecosystem for long-term growth.
How do you see AmCham’s role evolving in Taiwan’s rapidly changing geopolitical and economic landscape?
I have a lot of faith in AmCham. Our publications and advocacy efforts have improved significantly over the years, and the Chamber is more professional, better resourced, and more influential than ever. What sets us apart is our ability to take the views of our member companies and communicate them clearly to both the U.S. and Taiwan governments. That role is becoming even more important as economic and political pressures mount from multiple directions.
Our members are deeply committed to Taiwan. They’re here for the long term and want to invest, grow, and contribute. Taiwan is still something of a hidden gem, and many who come here don’t want to leave. AmCham has the responsibility – and opportunity – to help preserve and strengthen that environment.
You’ve completed several triathlons. What made you want to take on such a physically demanding sport?
For me, triathlons aren’t about competing – it’s about staying in shape and creating structure. The discipline of regularly swimming, cycling, and running keeps me grounded. It’s also a mental reset. Part of it is just proving I can still finish.
Maybe most importantly, exercise clears my head. Especially on solo bike rides, I let ideas percolate. Sometimes I’ll stop mid-ride, pull out my phone, and jot down a thought, a sentence for a speech, or a new idea. When your body is in motion, your mind can access solutions you might miss sitting at a desk.
Beyond your work and training, how do you like to unwind?
Training allows me to eat and drink a little more freely, which is part of the fun. I enjoy a good drink, usually whiskey. From many years of traveling through duty free stores, I have had quite a range of whiskeys, and there are gems in Taiwan whiskeys as well as Japanese ones to compare to the traditional tastes. I don’t have a super refined palate, but I know what I like.
