title: Peter Chou
text: # Peter Chou
  
  Peter Chou (Chinese: 周永明) or Win Than (Burmese: ဝင်းသန်း) (born 24 November 1956) is the former HTC CEO chief executive officer and a co-founder of HTC. Chou founded HTC with Cher Wang (王雪紅) and H.T.Cho (卓火土) before being named CEO of HTC in 2004, succeeding H.T.Cho. In order to spearhead innovation initiatives for HTC, Chou would later serve as head of HTC Future Development Lab starting early 2015, with Cher Wang succeeding as CEO.
  
  ## Early life and education
  
  Chou, a member of the Burmese Chinese community, was born in Mandalay, Burma (now Myanmar) in 1956. Chou's father worked in Burma's jade industry. He attended Mandalay Regional College.
  
  After school, Chou went to Taiwan and continued to study part-time in the car audio company assembling electronic parts. Chou graduated from National Taiwan Ocean University in 1985 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. In 1987, Chou became a senior engineer at Digital Equipment Corporation; in 1997, HP merged with DEC.
  
  In 1997, he founded HTC with Cher Wang (王雪紅) and H.T.Cho (卓火土). Chou had received an Executive MBA from National Chengchi University in 2003 after co-founding HTC. He attended Harvard Business School's six-week Advanced Management Program.
  
  In 2013, HTC launched one of the first smartphones to offer commercial off-the-shelf compatibility with Burmese language text.
  
  ## Career
  
  Before HTC
  
  Prior to joining HTC, Chou spent 10 years with Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), eventually serving as director before DEC's later merger with HP Corporation.
  
  HTC Corporation
  
  Chou was asked to join the founding of HTC Corporation by former superior H.T. Cho in 1997, and was named CEO in 2004. Under his leadership, Chou has led the charge not only to establish HTC as a global smartphone brand, but also the shaping of the global smartphone industry landscape in its early years. Chou's term as CEO was credited with many industry innovations, from the first 4G-capable smartphone to one of the first smartphones to offer commercial off-the-shelf compatibility with Burmese language text.
  
  With his strong belief and industry experience in the values of entrepreneurship and innovation, Chou saw to adjusting his CEO leadership roles to directing product initiatives at the forefront as head of HTC Future Development Lab, with Cher Wang succeeding the mantle as CEO of HTC Corporation in early 2015.
  
  Chou has received numerous awards including Laptop Magazine's #5 most influential mobile executive, the prestigious Wireless Week Leadership Award for extraordinary achievements in mobile communications and T3 Magazine's #13 most influential technology executive.
  
  ## Personal life
  
  In his spare time, Chou enjoys reading, appreciating all forms of art and listening to classical music.
  
  