Meet the New RI President

Gary C.K. Huang, a member of the Rotary Club of Taipei, Taiwan, is the President of Rotary International in 2014-15.

Gary Huang was born in Fujian, a province in southern China. He is the third child of seven. Like many others, his family fled China during the civil war, unhappy with the communists who were taking over the country. The family settled in Taiwan in 1947, when Huang was one year old.

Huang says his vision for Rotary is to increase membership to more than 1.3 million.

“To increase our membership, we must go beyond borders to wherever we see growth potential, such as the countries of China, Mongolia, and Vietnam. I will put an emphasis on increasing female and younger members,” Huang says. “I will also encourage former Rotarians to once again be part of our Rotary family.”

Huang has served as the chair of Taiwan Sogo Shinkong Security Co., Ltd., Shin Kong Life Real Estate Service Co., and P.S. Insurance Agency, Inc. and director of Federal Corporation and managing director of Taipei Life-Line Association.

He is a past president of Malayan Overseas Insurance Co. and charter secretary general of the Council for Industrial and Commercial Development in Taiwan.

Gary Huang chose Light Up Rotary as his theme for 2014-15. Huang was inspired by the teachings of Chinese philosopher Confucius who said: "It is better to light a single candle, than to sit and curse the darkness."

"Light Up Rotary is our theme, but it is more than our theme. It is how we live in Rotary, how we think in Rotary, how we feel, how we work," Huang said. "It is how we make a difference — every day, in every club, every district, and every country where we serve."

A Rotarian since 1976, Huang has served as RI vice president, director, Rotary Foundation trustee, district governor, International Assembly training leader, regional session leader, task force member and coordinator, and committee member and chair.

Huang created 19 new clubs in 1986-87 as governor of District 345, which included Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Huang has been awarded the National Civic Service Award by the Federation of Non-Profit Associations and the Outstanding Community Service Award by the Ministry of the Interior, R.O.C. He is a recipient of the RI Service Above Self Award and the Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service.

Huang and his wife, Corinna Yao, have three children.