Foxconn's Kathy Yang named to Fortune's Most Powerful Women Asia list again
Kathy Yang of Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) has been named to Fortune's Most Powerful Women Asia 2026 list for the second year in a row. She is one of 16 honorees from the technology sector, the most represented industry in this year's ranking.
- Kathy Yang of Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) is on Fortune's Most Powerful Women Asia 2026 list for the second consecutive year.
- Technology is the best-represented sector with 16 honorees, ahead of banking with 14.
- Yang oversees global campus operations and AI software and infrastructure, covering more than 240 sites in 24 countries.
- She was Foxconn's first woman rotating CEO.
- Yang says the best factories in five years will be those where humans, AI and robots enhance one another.
Technology leads the 2026 ranking
According to the announcement, Yang is Chief Executive of global campus operations at Foxconn and also leads the company's AI software and AI infrastructure businesses. Foxconn (TWSE:2317) is described in the release as the world's largest electronics manufacturer and AI server supplier.
Technology supplies 16 honorees in this year's list, ahead of banking, which has 14. The release presents this as evidence of the growing importance of technology in the Asian economy, as companies built on digital platforms, advanced manufacturing and other technology-driven sectors gain scale and influence.
Charmian Choo, Fortune's senior Asia ranking lead, said the most striking aspect of the list is "la manière dont le paysage du pouvoir économique en Asie évolue" (how the landscape of economic power in Asia is changing). She added that established leaders continue to advance some of the region's largest companies, alongside a new generation moving up the ranks, according to the release.
Yang's role and background at Foxconn
Yang's responsibilities span more than 240 Foxconn sites in 24 countries, according to the release. Her work combines Foxconn's global production reach, engineering capabilities and operational know-how with software, data, computing infrastructure and artificial intelligence.
She previously served as rotating CEO of Foxconn and was the first woman to hold that position. During that term, the company says, she focused on strengthening the execution of company-wide strategies, coordination between divisions and governance discipline at one of the world's largest and most complex industrial organizations.
Yang is also a board member of Foxconn Industrial Internet (FII) and chair and chief executive of JUSDA, both described as key Foxconn entities. Earlier this year she appeared on Fortune's list of the most powerful women in business for 2026.
Yang on AI, factories and the workforce
In the release, Yang said women in leadership roles play an important part in the industrial revolution of AI. In her words, the real challenge "ne réside pas dans le déploiement de la technologie" (does not lie in deploying the technology), but in rethinking ways of working, investing in reskilling and supporting employees worldwide, men and women, as they adapt to the changes.
She also offered a forecast for factories. "Dans cinq ans, les meilleures usines ne seront pas simplement les plus automatisées, ce seront celles où les humains, l'intelligence artificielle et les robots se mettront mutuellement en valeur," she said, meaning that in five years the best factories will not simply be the most automated, but those where humans, AI and robots enhance one another.
The remarks reflect the position Foxconn occupies between physical manufacturing and AI, the theme the release uses to frame her recognition. For readers following the industry, the list shows how leadership in technology and manufacturing is increasingly being measured by AI-related responsibilities, as the release describes it.
