Stan Shih, born in 1944 in Lukang, Changhua, was one of the founders of Taiwan's information-technology industry and a key advocate of branding among ethnic-Chinese enterprises. Having lost his father in early childhood and been raised by his mother, he studied electronic engineering at National Chiao Tung University, earning a master's degree and a solid technical foundation. In 1976 he co-founded Acer with partners, entering the then-emerging fields of microprocessors and personal computers. He led Acer from contract manufacturing toward its own brand, one of the few entrepreneurs to challenge major international firms and bring a Taiwanese brand to the global market. He formulated the famous "Smiling Curve" theory, holding that industrial value concentrates at the two ends of research and branding rather than in the middle of manufacturing, profoundly shaping the strategic thinking of Taiwan's industry. He argued for raising added value through branding and innovation and drove the restructuring and internationalization of enterprises. In his later years he championed a "kingly way" management philosophy stressing value creation and balanced interests, and actively engaged in cultural-creative industries and philanthropy. He also long took part in industrial policy and talent cultivation, attentive to Taiwan's long-term competitiveness. Shih is seen as a pivotal force in Taiwan's technology industry moving from contract manufacturing toward branding, his management theory and practice long an important reference for Taiwan's industrial upgrading.

• Founded Acer, pioneering Taiwanese IT branding (1976)

• Formulated the "Smiling Curve" theory of industrial value