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RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif., Sept. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- George Yen of Taipei, Taiwan, is the new International President of Toastmasters International, the world's leading organization devoted to communication and leadership skills development. Yen assumed the one-year term during the organization's 82^nd annual International Convention, held Aug. 21-24 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Access Yen's photo here.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130222/MM64912LOGO)

Yen is Chairman of the Board of Great Sequoia Corporation, an international management and trading company based in Taipei.  He also is the chief executive officer of five international joint ventures with Japanese, Canadian and American corporations in the fields of machinery and industrial products. Yen says, "Toastmasters has improved my ability to think and speak succinctly, which is essential to my role as a business leader."

"To be the International President is a tremendous honor for me and for Toastmasters in Taiwan," says Yen, who was recently honored by the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs for his contribution to "international exchange and people-to-people diplomacy" through Toastmasters. He is the first Taiwanese citizen to serve as International President.

Toastmasters International has 147 clubs in Taiwan, including one in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "The Toastmasters program works in any language," Yen says. "We have a common humanity despite cultural and linguistic differences."

Yen speaks four languages and holds a master's degree in international relations from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. "What I appreciate most about Toastmasters is that it is 'a practice field,' or 'dao chang,' for personal growth," he says.

A dedicated Toastmaster for 24 years, Yen is a member of four clubs, including Taiwan Toastmasters, a bilingual Chinese and English club in Taipei. He has held a number of prominent leadership positions within the organization and attained the Distinguished Toastmaster designation—the highest level of educational achievement in Toastmasters.

As International President, Yen is the highest ranked officer on the Toastmasters Board of Directors. He joins the following newly elected officers on the Toastmasters International 2013-14 Executive Committee:

• Mohammed Murad of Dubai, UAE—International President-elect
• Jim Kokocki of New Brunswick, Canada—First Vice President
• Mike Storkey of Queensland, Australia—Second Vice President.

For more information about Toastmasters, visit http://mediacenter.toastmasters.org.

About Toastmasters International
Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of meeting locations. Headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, the organization's membership exceeds 292,000 in more than 14,350 clubs in 122 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people of all backgrounds become more confident in front of an audience. For information about local Toastmasters clubs, please visit www.toastmasters.org. Follow @Toastmasters on Twitter.

SOURCE Toastmasters International