Acer's Shih hands over day-to-day control to Simon Lin

Acer's CEO, Stan Shih, has relinquished control of the day to day running of his company and will retire in six years time, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Simon Lin, currently CEO of Acer Inc, the Taiwanese company's the US division, will step into his shoes, the newspaper said. But that news could signify the beginning of a strategic withdrawal from the USA market, as Lin takes on his additional responsibilities. No one obvious candidate exists to take over Acer Inc. in the US. Shih, aged 54, has long had a dream to conquer the US market, making Acer a global player. But earlier this year, Acer reorganised its international structure, combining its European and US divisions, while Shih concentrated on turning round the company's flagging DRAM and semiconductor business. ®