Angela Chao – Biography
Angela Chao
COUNTRY OF BIRTH
United States
INDUSTRY
Shipping and transportation.
TOP ACHIEVEMENTS
Shipping Industry Expert
Angela Chao is a well-respected business executive in the international shipping and transportation industry. At an early age, she was exposed to the world of shipping through her family’s business, the Foremost Group, where she learned the critical importance of delivering goods from those who produce them to those who need them. Her first major career undertaking was to implement the International Safety Management (ISM) Code within Foremost, and ensure the company complied with it. This project required the ‘hands-on’ approach of visiting ships with superintendents and ensuring that procedures were being correctly documented and executed as required. Chao’s expertise remains ship management and operations to this day.
After completing her MBA studies, she took up a post in the Mergers & Acquisitions department of Smith Barney, now a part of Citigroup. But her yearning to be involved in the tangible world of shipping led her to choose to return to the Foremost Group. Chao initially held the role of Assistant Vice President, then progressed to Vice President from 2001-2008, and then took over as Deputy Chairman in 2009.
Angela Chao
Angela Chao
Respected Sector Leader
Angela Chao is deeply involved in her sector, and sits on the Board of the American Bureau of Shipping Council, on the Young Leaders Forum of the National Committee on US-China Relations, and is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She previously sat on the Board of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation and the Executive Committee of the Baltic International Maritime Council (BIMCO).
Philanthropic Role Model
Chao is a devoted campaigner for a variety of causes in the US and Asia. As the daughter of hard working immigrant parents, she has always held a strong commitment to giving back to the community. As President of The Foremost Foundation, a philanthropic organization founded by her father Dr. James S.C. Chao, she facilitates supporting talented young people to attain higher education and to fulfil their true potential.
The Chao Family Foundations (of which the Foremost Foundation is a dominant part), is focused on developing world leaders, improving the quality of healthcare, and developing cross-cultural exchanges between Asia and the US. It has made generous contributions to educational facilities and programs in the U.S and Asia, including the $40 million construction of the Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Center at Harvard University. Other generous contributions have funded the Ruth Mulan Chu Chao building at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University campus, and the Mulan Memorial Simulation Center at Shanghai Maritime University. In addition to managing her family’s foundations, Angela is a generous contributor to the American Association for Cancer Research.
Inspirational Speaker
Angela Chao is a distinguished and sought-after public speaker. Her expertise in international trade and shipping, coupled with her educational and corporate leadership experience makes her a compelling and inspiring speaker with a mass audience appeal. For example, she spoke at the Connecticut Maritime Association (CMA) Shipping 2015 Conference, cconsidered the largest international gathering of shipping leaders in the world.
ADDITIONAL FACTS
- Received an undergraduate degree in economics from Harvard Business College, where she graduated magna cum laude in three years.
- Earned an MBA from Harvard Business School (HBS). A finance case study that Chao wrote while at HBS, titled Ocean Carriers, is now used as part of the first year curriculum at Harvard and other prestigious business schools.
