TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The board of Radio Taiwan International (RTI) on Wednesday (Feb. 9) voted in Cheryl Lai (賴秀如) as the state-run broadcaster’s new chairwoman.

RTI produces programs about Taiwan for a global audience in 14 languages, including Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, English, German, Spanish and French. Lai, a consultant at the Taiwan Cultural Foundation, previously served as editor-in-chief at the Central News Agency (CNA), director of the cultural division at Taiwan's representative office in the United Kingdom, deputy editor-in-chief of Taiwan News, and president of RTI from 2003 to 2006.

Apart from winning local and international broadcasting awards, RTI has also cooperated with the Voice of America, Deutsche Welle, and the BBC. The Ministry of Culture praised the station’s efforts to help overseas audiences “hear” Taiwan, according to the station's website.

The 15 members of the board were elected for a three-year term and come from backgrounds as diverse as media, culture, finance, law, labor unions and government. Culture Minister Lee Yung-te (李永得) said he respects the outcome of the board’s decision to choose Lai and is confident that under her leadership, RTI will be able to use its language ability and digital technology to strengthen its service to listeners.