Min H. Kao

Min H. Kao earned a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee and worked on navigation systems, including at Magnavox, before joining King Radio. He co-founded Garmin there with Gary Burrell in 1989 and later served as CEO and then executive chairman.

Min H. Kao co-founded Garmin in 1989 with Gary Burrell, and the company name combines their first names. Born in Taiwan, he studied at National Taiwan University and the University of Tennessee and worked on GPS and navigation systems before starting Garmin. He helped set up the company's manufacturing in Taiwan, which is still central to its vertically integrated model. He led Garmin as CEO through the 2000s, then handed the role to Cliff Pemble in 2013 and stayed on as executive chairman. He is also known for major gifts to the University of Tennessee, whose electrical engineering and computer science department bears his name.