A major Silicon Valley tech player is changing its leadership guard as one of its longest-serving executives prepares to step aside. Acer America, the computer and electronics giant with headquarters on West San Carlos Street in downtown San Jose, announced that its Pan America president will retire at the end of the year—capping off a career that saw the company rise to become one of the world's leading Chromebook manufacturers.
Gregg Prendergast will retire from his role as president of Pan America Operations effective January 1, 2026. He'll be replaced by not one, but two co-presidents: Chris Chiang and Germano Couy, who will jointly oversee North and Latin American operations, according to Acer. The dual leadership structure represents a strategic shift for the Taiwan-based tech giant as it navigates an increasingly complex regional market.
A Distinguished Career Bookends
Prendergast's tenure at Acer has been marked by significant achievements, particularly in transforming the company's market position in educational technology. Chairman and CEO Jason Chen praised his departing executive's contributions, noting that PR Newswire reported he "steered our regional portfolio and channel strategy, helping broaden our distribution and brand presence across the Americas." Perhaps most notably, Prendergast played a crucial role in establishing Acer as one of the strongest Chromebook brands worldwide—a particularly impressive feat in the competitive education technology market.
His career with Acer has been anything but linear. According to PRWeb, Prendergast first joined Acer America in 1997 when the company acquired the notebook computer business from Texas Instruments, where he'd spent 16 years. After leaving for stints at Samsung Electronics and Belkin, he returned to Acer in 2009 as Vice President of U.S. commercial sales and marketing. By 2014, he had earned recognition as one of CRN's Channel Chiefs, and later that decade was elevated to co-president alongside Sumit Agnihotry before eventually becoming sole president of Pan America Operations.
The New Guard Takes Over
The incoming co-presidents bring complementary skill sets that Acer clearly hopes will drive continued growth. Chris Chiang has been with the company since 2007 and has served as Vice President of Product & Business Management for the Pan America region since 2016, as reported by Acer. His track record includes launching and scaling technology products across the region while managing Acer's vast product portfolio.
Germano Couy, meanwhile, brings three decades of experience in sales and business development across Latin American markets. He's been with Acer since 2014 as General Country Manager for Latin America, where he's led multicultural teams and driven optimization initiatives, according to Acer. The decision to split regional leadership between North and Latin America specialists suggests Acer is taking a more nuanced approach to managing these distinct markets.
Transition Comes Amid Strong Financial Performance
The leadership announcement comes at a moment of relative financial strength for Acer. The company reported consolidated revenues of NT$73.40 billion for the third quarter of 2025, representing a 10.3% increase quarter-on-quarter, as reported by Acer. Even more impressively, operating income surged 105.1% quarter-on-quarter to NT$1.51 billion.
Part of this success stems from Acer's strategic diversification beyond traditional PCs. According to Acer, revenues from businesses other than personal computers and displays contributed 33.6% of the group's total revenues in Q3—a sign that the company's pivot toward gaming, AI-integrated solutions, and other emerging technologies is paying off. September 2025 marked the highest September revenues in 11 years for the company.
A Broader Industry Trend
Acer's leadership transition reflects broader shifts happening across the tech sector in 2025. The tech industry has seen significant leadership changes this year as companies adapt to rapid technological disruption, particularly around artificial intelligence and hybrid work models. The co-president structure itself represents a departure from traditional hierarchical models—a trend that some leadership experts see as more aligned with managing complex, multi-regional operations in an era of constant change.
For a company founded in 1976 that now operates in more than 160 countries with nearly 12,000 employees worldwide, maintaining agility while preserving institutional knowledge is a delicate balance. The January 1, 2026 transition date gives Prendergast's successors time to prepare for their new roles while ensuring continuity in operations.
As Acer's San Jose headquarters continues to anchor the company's American operations, the transition marks the end of one era and the beginning of another for the tech giant's regional leadership—with the hope that two heads will indeed prove better than one.
This story is being published approximately three weeks after Acer's initial announcement on November 6, 2025, to provide context on the leadership transition and its timing relative to the company's strong Q3 financial performance.
