| Chester Koo | |
| Native Name: | 辜啟允 |
| Native Name Lang: | zh |
| Birth Date: | 1952 |
| Birth Place: | Taipei, Taiwan |
| Death Place: | Taipei, Taiwan |
| Nationality: | Republic of China |
| Education: | Master of Business Administration |
| Alma Mater: | Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania |
| Credits: | , which produces label "Notable credit(s)"; or by |
| Works: | , which produces label "Works"; or by |
| Label Name: | , which produces label "Label(s)" --> |
| Office: | may be used as an alternative when the label is better rendered as "Office" (e.g. public office or appointments) --> |
| Father: | Koo Chen-fu |
| Relatives: | Leslie Koo (brother) |
Chester Koo (; 1952–2001) was a Taiwanese business executive.
Born in 1952,[1] Koo earned a master's degree in business administration at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1979.[2] [3]
After his graduation and subsequent return to Taiwan, Koo managed a branch of Chinatrust Bank, and at age 35 was appointed president of the China Life Insurance Company.[4]
Koo later led many other Koos Group (KGI) subsidiaries and was active in the media industry.[5] He was responsible for KGI's 1997 acquisition of Chinese Television Network (CTN).
Koo eventually sold CTN in January 2000, having never turned a profit.[6] In an attempt to increase the market share of (CNS), a cable company owned by KGI, Koo restructured CNS and sought investors to form a media conglomerate, becoming partners with Rupert Murdoch in the process.[7] Though he was credited with helping Koos Group gain a foothold in new industries, many of Koo's investments were also regarded as risky, and multiple ventures lost money.[8] He resigned his position at China Life in December 2001.[9]
As a result, Koo became less involved with Koos Group business ventures, except for Hoshin Gigamedia Center Inc. which he had founded in October 1998.[10] Under his leadership, GigaMedia reached an agreement with Microsoft and began working on a set-top box design suitable for broadband Internet via cable services. In November 1999, Microsoft bought a ten percent stake in GigaMedia.[11] The next year, GigaMedia began work with Yahoo Inc. on building a website which offered multimedia entertainment to GigaMedia customers.[12]
Shortly after leaving China Life, Koo died from gallbladder cancer on 24 December 2001, aged 49.[13] Later, Leslie Koo split Koos Group holdings with cousin Jeffrey Koo. Together, the two returned KGI to profitability.[14]
Chester Koo's father Koo Chen-fu and younger brother Leslie Koo were also businessmen. Chester Koo's only son was Koo Kung-yi.[15]