Johannesburg, 14 Apr 2008
D-Link Corporation is deeply saddened to announce that the Company's Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Ken Kao, passed away on 2 April 2008 to natural causes. He was 58.
"Ken was a visionary leader who combined extraordinary intellect with boundless energy and enthusiasm," said J.C. Liao, President of D-Link. "Ken's impact and influence on the success of building D-Link into the company it is today will survive for a long time. He leaves behind a tremendous legacy of achievement and an accomplished management team that is committed to continuing his strategic vision."
"Ken was an exceptional friend and business partner who will be greatly missed by his friends, coworkers and family," said, A.P. Chen, Chief Financial Officer of D-Link. "He will be remembered by many as an extremely caring individual who strived to make life better for so many people. While we mourn Ken's passing, we must also remember and appreciate his life's achievements."
Mr. Kao founded D-Link in 1986 with just a handful of engineers, and provided the visionary leadership that propelled the Company on a high growth path to become one of the leading networking equipment vendors worldwide. During this same time period, Mr. Kao guided the financial transformation of D-Link from a million-dollar business entity into the billion dollar global supplier of network equipment that it is today, with offices in over 58 countries and products ranging from Ethernet Switching equipment to Internet broadband and SOHO/SMB connectivity products.
Under Mr. Kao's leadership, D-Link earned significant international accolades. In 1998, the Company was profiled as one of the "Top 300 Companies" in Forbes Magazine. In 1999, it was ranked as one of the world's "Top Ten Most Productive Networking Companies" by Network World Magazine. And, in 2002 D-Link was chosen as one of the "Top 100 Information Tech Companies" by BusinessWeek Magazine.
In addition to his successful career in the technology and business worlds, Mr. Kao was also known as a generous philanthropist in the Taiwan community, donating millions of dollars each year to charitable organizations focused on improving youth education, sports and social impact causes.
Mr. Kao received his bachelor's of science degree in electro-physical engineering in 1972 from the National Chiao-Tung University in Taiwan. In 1991, Mr. Kao received the "ROC Model Entrepreneur of the Year" Award. In 1994, he was honored with the "Premier Award of Contemporary Business Leaders in Taiwan."
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