invasion of China, where he was born, and later facing the challenge of building a new life in the United States after the communists came to power. He spent 25 years there with Texas Instruments and gained a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford. That, however, is what makes Chang stand out from the crowded field of Asian business leaders. What makes him different when he moved to Taiwan in 1985, he knew nothing of the political and economic situation there. To make up for that deficiency, he laid out a plan, in keeping with his belief that learning is a lifelong process. From that base, in 1987, he went on to found Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TsMC), he still chairs The which ompany, now the world's largest contract chip-maker by revenue, made a US$2.92 billion net profit in 2005, on sales of Uss8.2 billion. It employs 20,000 people worldwide. Chang likes to challenge old beliefs, but maybe it's his self-belief that stands out the most. Now in his early 7 he offers a prime example of how the older generation of successful leaders in Asia has won through. They have needed to be adaptable and flexible to succeed in a different economic and political environment. In Chang's case, this has meant eschewing the typically authoritarian Asian leadership style while still leading by example.