Matthew Mak, DTM

Toastmasters offices held and terms of service (international and regional level):

• 2017-2018 Division Director
• 2018-2019 Club Growth Director
• 2019-2020 District Director
• 2020-2021 Immediate Past District Director
• 2020-2025 Translation Reviewer: Traditional Chinese
• 2022-2023 Region Advisor, Region 14
• 2023-2024 Region Advisor, Region 12

Toastmasters honors and recognition (international level):

• 2017-2018 District 67 Toastmaster of the Year
• 2025 Toastmasters International Presidential Citation

Relevant work experience and how it relates to Toastmasters and your role as a Board Member:

“Communication”, is a word that summarizes what I do on a daily basis and is something that I practice often. I work full-time at Gjun Cloud Education, Co. in the online department as an English and Japanese teacher. I have been with the company since 2012, starting out part-time and then moved into a full-time position.

Since 2017, I have been working as a demo teacher giving trial lessons to prospective students. As I meet different prospective students, I have had to alternate my teaching methods to align with their needs, similar to how we will conduct our demo meetings or marketing to prospective members of Toastmasters. Self-improvement is key to growth and always possible. I became the first teacher in the institute to achieve sales of TWD $1 million. I challenged myself the next month to attempt to surpass my personal best and successfully achieved the $3 million TWD sales mark. I wish to take this attitude of continuous improvement with me to the board.

Flexibility and adaptability are key qualities of any Board member. I have exemplified these qualities in my work place by:
- working as an academic supervisor, recruiting and training new teachers
- leading the quality control group, revising and modernizing our course materials
- working as a demo teacher, giving demo online courses and marketing them to prospective students

I have and continue to work as a part-time translator and interpreter, helping bridge the language gap and promote networking at large sporting events and meetings of government officials. I have served as an interpreter and translator of the Taichung City government and for various events, including hosting delegations and the 2018 Flora Exposition.

What experience do you have in strategic planning?

In 2015, I was invited to lead the establishment of the Japanese department and became an academic supervisor. My tasks included:
- hiring and training teachers
- meeting with publishers to select course materials
- giving demo courses for prospective students
- formulating policies for the operations of the department

I constantly monitored changes in student registration, class availability, and teacher staffing levels to ensure balance between supply and demand.

Six years after its initial establishment, the size of the department has now grown to more than 100 teachers with a full-time internal staff. The success led to the company expanding into other languages including Spanish, Korean, French, and German.

What experience do you have in the area of finance?

At work, I need to balance the evaluation of our teachers and what the pay rate should be. Evaluation criteria includes:
- performance during their teaching demonstration
- number of teaching hours offered a week
- years of teaching experience
- willingness to align to company requirements
- responsiveness to communication

We also have technological requirements for computer specifications and internet speed. I evaluate these fairly and offer a pay rate that both reflects the candidate’s performance and willingness to align, while making sure it is a living wage. On top of that, it has to be cross-checked with the company’s current pay structure and ensure that it does not exceed certain limits.

During my district director year, I learned to discuss and form the annual budget for the smooth operations of the district. It was important to learn the requirements and how to formulate a realistic budget through the documents provided by World Headquarters and the experience by my Immediate Past District Director.

What experience do you have in developing policies?

During the establishment of the Japanese department, I developed and implemented key HR and operational policies to ensure smooth organizational performance. This included creating frameworks for hiring, teacher assignment, performance management, and compensation, all designed to support fairness, consistency, and long-term growth.

What lessons did you learn from previous leadership positions?

Two of the most important lessons I learned were to listen and to delegate.

Listening helps us to realize that there is not only one way to accomplish something. It is invaluable to hear about other ideas or opinions. It not only helps us diversify our views, but also makes us aware of our blind spots.

Delegation is key, as we cannot accomplish everything alone with our limited time and energy.
It is important to learn to delegate to others, but to remember to follow up as the responsibility is still ours.

What experience and key strengths would you bring to the Board of Directors?

A great board member has to:
- Work with people from different backgrounds, with different experiences, and different opinions.
In my 14 years of teaching experience, I have gained the above from educating students from all walks of life from across various countries around the world.

- Be open to change and adapt.
I started out teaching in the classroom, but wanted to challenge myself and teach online. I strengthened this skill by learning to work with different technologies and alternating my teaching methods to suit the online environment.

- Bridge Communication Gaps
I have worked with government agencies, corporations, and non-profit organizations. I have developed this ability through helping to translate and interpret, bridging the language barrier during projects and events.

Why do you want to serve as an International Officer/Director?

I want to contribute to creating exceptional educational experiences that inspire all members of society to become life-long learners. I believe my experience of openness to and adapting to change, working with individuals from different backgrounds, formulating policies and starting new ventures within my workplace, and focus on helping others to grow can greatly benefit our organization and our members’ experiences. Combining my skills with my fellow board members will enable Toastmasters to celebrate a second century with pride.

What volunteer experience do you have outside of Toastmasters?

I have volunteered with the local elementary schools and colleges, serving as a speaking mentor and speaking contest judge. In this capacity, I have provided guidance, mentorship, and shared my experience to help future generations to become better communicators and encourage them to take the stage.

Have you worked with other Boards of Directors outside of Toastmasters? If so, describe your experience.

I have worked with four different committees, three supervisors, and two general managers at my company, coming up with and implementing policies, as well as, working in and managing teams.

These include
- the formation of new language departments
- recruitment and training of teachers
- lesson demonstration with our sales team and clients
- course material quality control monitoring
- production of new courses

In my 14-year tenure with the institute, I have remained flexible and have been asked to work in all different committees, understanding all aspects of what we do. Working in different committees has taught me the importance of cross-committee and interpersonal communication to ensure smooth cooperation and project completion in a timely, efficient, and transparent manner.

In your opinion, what are Toastmasters International’s major objectives and how would you work to achieve them?

Toastmasters International is a first-choice provider for those wishing to improve their communication and leadership skills. It is important that we are aware of our members’ club experience. The foundation to our organization is our members. Therefore, it is vital to make sure that our members are having their interests satisfied and their needs met. In addition, with the ever evolving digital environment and the rapid changes happening since the pandemic, we need to make sure that the technological aspect is there to ensure that our organization and program remains relevant to our members. Remaining relevant technologically will also help us to appeal to younger prospective members.

I will work with my fellow Board members to understand the most pressing needs of our members and being inclusive by bringing their voices and thoughts into our discussions. This will help to guide our decisions to make sure that the direction we are deciding on is the best one for our members and organizations.

Additional information about candidate:

I was born and raised in the United States and lived in the United States for 21 years. After graduating college in 2011, I moved to Taiwan to begin my career as an English teacher and have been living in Taiwan now for 14 years. In addition to teaching, I continue to help bridge the language barrier by helping various organizations and agencies interpret and translate on a part-time basis. I am fluent in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Taiwanese, with conversational ability in Japanese. In my free time, I enjoy traveling and learning new languages.