We are pleased to inform you of the appointment of Dr. Darson Chiu as the new Secretary-Treasurer of the Asian Bankers Association (ABA) effective May 1, 2024, replacing Mr. David Hsu who has retired from the position.

Prior to joining the ABA Secretariat, Dr. Chiu accumulated an extensive career experience. He was a Researcher at Department of International Affairs in the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER), a position he held from 1999, and was later appointed Deputy Director of the Macroeconomic Forecasting Center at TIER until 2020. He was mainly responsible for the research activities of international organizations such as PECC, APEC, ABAC, PAFTAD, and PBEC. It was in that capacity that he worked closely with the late Dr. Jeffrey L.S. Koo, Founder of the ABA and one of the pillars of the Association, in the latter’s role as Chairman of the PECC Standing Committee and Finance Sub-Committee.

Dr. Chiu also served as Secretary-General of the Chinese Taipei Pacific Economic Cooperation Committee (CTPECC) (2010 – 2021). Since 2014, he has been a Contract Researcher at the Taiwan Security Center, National Chengchi University. He has also served as a Professor in the Department of Economics at Tunghai University since 2017, while concurrently serving as Member of the Editorial Board of the Modern Management Science & Engineering at the British International Journal. From 2018, he has been a Member of the International Economic and Trade Affairs Committee at the Chinese National Federation of Industries until present time. Since 2021, he has also been Honorary Advisor of the Taiwan Southeast Asia and South Asia Association.

In terms of his academic background, Darson obtained his BA in Economics from Tunghai University in 1988 and went on to earn an MA in Economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1994. Continuing his academic journey, he pursued a Ph.D. candidacy in Agriculture and Applied Economics at the same university. In 2007, Darson furthered his qualifications by obtaining a doctoral degree in Leadership in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix, enriching his expertise in both theoretical and practical realms, especially in economics and organizational management.

He was chosen as Outstanding Alumni of Department of Economics at Tunghai University in 2018 and Outstanding Alumni at the Yunlin County Tuku Elementary School’s 120th Anniversary in 2020.