Angela ChaoAngela Chao
- Chair and CEO of Foremost Group
- Member, Harvard Business School’s Board of Dean’s Advisors
- Member, Council on Foreign Relations
- Member, Young Leaders Forum of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations
- Co-Chair of the Advisory Council, The Asian-American Foundation
- Board Member, American Bureau of Shipping Council
- Board Member, Massachusetts Maritime Academy’s International Maritime Business Department Advisory Board
- Member, Chairman’s Council of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Advisory Board Member, The Metropolitan Opera
- Honorary Chairperson, Chiao-Tung University Alumni Association in America
- Former member, Hospital for Special Surgery’s International Advisory Board
- Former Director, New York City Economic Development Corporation
- Former member, Executive Committee of the Baltic International Maritime Council
- Former member, Lincoln Center’s Global China Advisory Council
The youngest of Dr. James S.C. and Ruth Mulan Chu Chao’s daughters, Angela Chao is also known among her sisters and friends as “kind,” “a natural leader,” “altruistic” and “deeply committed to the arts.”
Her sisters also remember that, during childhood, it was Angela Chao who most loved following Dr. Chao around the office; she was always interested in the family shipping business.
A Rare Intellect and Business Talent
As a young adult, Angela Chao proved her intellect and professional instincts quickly – earning an undergraduate degree in economics from Harvard College in just three years and later an MBA from Harvard Business School. To this day, a case study that Angela Chao wrote while at HBS (“Ocean Carriers”) is part of the required curriculum for First-Year HBS students.
The Mergers & Acquisitions Department of Smith Barney (now a part of Morgan Stanley) had the benefit of Angela Chao’s brilliance and propensity for hard work for a few years before she joined Foremost Group, the shipping company started by her father in 1964.
Angela Chao - Leadership at Foremost
Angela Chao’s has been Chair and CEO of Foremost since February of 2018. In that position, she carries on her father’s values-driven management style, leading the enterprise with a highly ethical, long-term point of view and the belief that all interactions should be mutually beneficial for all parties.
During her tenure, Foremost has also strengthened its commitment to innovation and environmentally advanced practices and design as it continues to deliver the dry bulk commodities necessary to grow economies, create jobs and help people build better lives around the world.
Dedicated Philanthropist
On a parallel track to her professional life is Angela Chao’s life as a philanthropist. She is known by colleagues and friends not only as “brilliant,” “loyal,” “thoughtful,” and “kind,” but as exceptionally devoted to the arts.
Angela Chao believes art brings people together across boundaries of language and culture, bridging divides by appealing to our common humanity. It is no surprise that she met her husband, Jim Breyer, through their shared passion for, and support of, the arts.
Angela Chao also works with her father, family and company foundations to fund scholarships to help deserving students access quality education that will transform them into leaders able to contribute to the improvement of our world. She established the Ruth Mulan Chu and James Si-Cheng Chao Family Fellowship at Harvard College which currently supports a minimum of two students per year.
Angela Chao also remains connected to her heritage through support of Asian-American causes, including, in recent years, efforts to stop rising violence against Asian Americans.
A Foundation of Values
Colleagues say Angela Chao is a gutsy leader, smart risk taker and a true visionary.
In the Chao family, she is the sister who keeps everyone laughing and smiling.
Like her father, mother and sisters, Angela Chao’s life has been built on a foundation of respect for her parents and a dedication to living a virtuous, generous life. She believes the true treasures of life are found in family, friends, and in giving back to society.