Hello, my name is Richard.

Although I was born and brought up in the UK, I left there as a youngster to go to South Africa. There, I studied at the University of Cape Town, where I graduated with a Honours Degree in Business Science (specializing in Marketing). After graduating I returned to London where I started working for a world leader in telecommunications called Cable and Wireless.

I subsequently left that company and joined a small creative advertising agency. My interests remained in the technology sector though and my largest account was Canon, although I also enjoyed working on campaigns for many other clients. After a few years I started my own agency and continued to offer full service advertising and marketing consulting services to a wide range of clients.

 

When the economic environment for advertising changed in the early 1990’s I closed my company and traveled to Taiwan for the first time. I arrived here first in 1992 and experienced life as an English teacher. I left shortly after to travel around South East Asia, which I found very exciting and stimulating and so I decided to return to Taiwan and learn more about doing business here. I had also met my future wife, Joy during that first trip so there was an added reason to return!

I started working in a trading company in Taichung shortly after my return to Taiwan and I learnt a great deal about trade and a number of quality, production and marketing issues. I then worked with a partner in the timber industry for a few years before moving to Hsinchu and opening the UKEAS office here with Joy in 1999. It was a busy time for us as our eldest son Ryan was born in the same month that we opened the office!

Shortly after opening Hsinchu, we opened the Taoyuan office in 2000. We didn’t have our second child, Angus, though until 2003 as we needed some breathing space! Joy and I now oversee the cases in the Hsinchu and Taoyuan offices and I am now also very involved in the running of the Taipei office, as well as other offices overseas and our new service company, GPS Career Connections.

My experiences helping students study overseas have been very rewarding to me and I enjoy discussing with students their academic and career plans. With my background in high tech and marketing I feel well suited to advise students, particularly in Taiwan about their goals.

Although I will always be British (and in fact I am one of the appointed Wardens for Hsinchu County, an appointment made by the British Trade and Cultural Office to be in charge of British citizens in Hsinchu), I am very pleased to call Taiwan my home. I look forward to meeting you in one of our offices and being able to discuss and, I believe, help you in achieving your overseas study or career goals. Welcome.