Joseph Tseng is a dynamic financial services leader with extensive expertise in management, application lifecycle management, information technology, credit cards, and digital marketing. An MBA graduate from Ming Chuan University, he brings strong business development acumen and a proven record of driving strategic growth initiatives.
In an interaction with CEO Insights Asia Magazine, Joseph Tseng shares his thoughtful perspectives on leadership, digital trust, legacy modernization and more. He speaks about innovation risk balance, cybersecurity collaboration, and outcome-driven technology strategies that strengthen resilience, customer confidence, and sustainable growth across the evolving financial services landscape.
To explore his insights in depth and understand his leadership philosophy, read the full article for detailed perspectives and practical takeaways.
From your early days in business development to leading both technology and security, how has your leadership journey shaped your view of digital trust in financial services?
My early experience in business development taught me that trust is ultimately built through consistency and reliability, not promises. As I transitioned into technology and later cybersecurity leadership, this perspective became even clearer.
In financial services, digital trust is not created by a single control or system, but by how well technology, security, and operations work together over time. Customers may never see our security mechanisms, but they experience the outcome through stable services, protected data, and uninterrupted operations. Leading both IT and security has reinforced my belief that trust must be engineered into every process, from system design to incident response. Digital trust is therefore not a feature, but a discipline that must be sustained every day.
What strategies have you employed to modernize legacy systems while ensuring minimal disruption to critical financial operations and client services?
Modernizing legacy systems in a financial environment requires balancing speed with stability. Our approach has focused on incremental transformation rather than large-scale replacement. We prioritize modularization, interface standardization, and gradual decoupling of core functions, allowing new capabilities to coexist with existing systems. This reduces operational risk and avoids service disruption for clients. Equally important is aligning technology change with business cycles, regulatory requirements, and operational readiness. By strengthening testing, rollback mechanisms, and cross-team coordination, we ensure that modernization enhances resilience rather than introducing uncertainty. For us, success is measured not by how quickly systems change, but by how smoothly customers continue to receive reliable and secure services throughout the transformation.
How do you balance innovation and risk, especially in deploying emerging technologies like AI, blockchain, or cloud, while maintaining regulatory compliance and data security?
Balancing innovation and risk starts with recognizing that not all innovation needs to be adopted at the same pace. We evaluate emerging technologies through a risk-based framework that considers business value, regulatory expectations, and data sensitivity. AI, cloud, and other technologies are introduced in controlled scenarios first, with clear governance, monitoring, and accountability.
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Compliance and security are embedded early, not added after deployment. This approach allows us to explore innovation while maintaining regulatory confidence. Innovation without control creates risk, but excessive caution limits growth. The key is disciplined experimentation, where technology advances are aligned with risk tolerance, compliance obligations, and the long-term trust of customers and regulators.
In leading both IT and cybersecurity teams, what cultural or structural approaches have proven most effective in fostering collaboration and proactive threat management?
Balancing innovation and risk starts with recognizing that not all innovation needs to be adopted at the same pace. We evaluate emerging technologies through a risk-based framework that considers business value, regulatory expectations, and data sensitivity. AI, cloud, and other technologies are introduced in controlled scenarios first, with clear governance, monitoring, and accountability.
Compliance and security are embedded early, not added after deployment. This approach allows us to explore innovation while maintaining regulatory confidence. Innovation without control creates risk, but excessive caution limits growth. The key is disciplined experimentation, where technology advances are aligned with risk tolerance, compliance obligations, and the long-term trust of customers and regulators.
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How do you measure the impact of digital initiatives on business growth, operational efficiency, and customer satisfaction, and how does this influence future technology investments?
We measure digital impact by focusing on outcomes rather than technology adoption alone. Key indicators include service stability, process efficiency, time-to-market improvements, and reduced operational friction. Customer satisfaction is reflected in fewer service disruptions and increased trust in digital channels. From an internal perspective, streamlined operations and better data visibility are equally important signals.
These measurements guide future investment decisions by highlighting where technology delivers sustainable value rather than short-term gains. When digital initiatives consistently support growth, efficiency, and reliability, they earn long-term commitment.
This disciplined evaluation ensures that technology investments remain aligned with business priorities and continue to strengthen both operational performance and customer confidence.
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What advice would you share with fellow financial industry leaders about cultivating resilient, innovation-driven IT strategies that empower growth in highly competitive markets?
My advice is to treat resilience as the foundation of innovation, not it’s opposite. In highly competitive financial markets, growth depends on systems that can adapt without compromising stability or trust. Leaders should invest in governance, security, and architecture that support change rather than restrict it. Innovation should be purposeful, guided by clear business outcomes and supported by strong risk management.
Equally important is fostering a culture where teams understand both the opportunity and responsibility that technology brings. When resilience, innovation, and accountability are aligned, IT strategies become a powerful enabler of sustainable growth rather than a source of operational risk.