Chen Yidan (陈一丹, born 1971), also known as Charles Chen, is a Chinese internet entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Tencent, founder of the Chen Yidan Charity Foundation, and founder of the Yidan Prize Foundation.
Chen Yidan 陈一丹 | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971 (age 52–53) Huizhou, Guangdong, China |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Alma mater | Shenzhen University Nanjing University Singapore Management University |
| Occupation(s) | Co-founder and former CAO of Tencent Founder of Wuhan College Founder of the Chen Yidan Charity Foundation Founder of the Yidan Prize Foundation |
Education
editChen Yidan was born in Huizhou, Guangdong, and grew up in Shenzhen, Guangdong. He obtained a bachelor's degree in applied chemistry from Shenzhen University and a master's degree in economic law from Nanjing University.[1][2] He subsequently earned a Doctor of Business Administration from Singapore Management University.[3]
Tencent
editIn 1998, Chen Yidan co-founded the internet holding company Tencent alongside Ma Huateng,[4] Zhang Zhidong,[5] Xu Chenye, and Zeng Liqing.[2][6] He served as the company's chief administrative officer (CAO).[7] Yidan also led the company's Tencent Charity Foundation.[8][9][7]
In March 2013, Yidan stepped down as Tencent's CAO.[10] He continued to be involved with the company as an advisor, sponsor, and honorary chairman of the Tencent Charity Foundation.[11][12][10]
Philanthropy
editIn March 2013, Chen Yidan founded the Chen Yidan Charity Foundation after stepping down from his role as CAO of Tencent.[13][6]
Wuhan College
editIn 2009, Yidan cofounded Wuhan College and became a school initiator.[14][15] In 2015, Yidan donated RMB20 million to support the college's library construction and reading material purchases.[2][16]
The Yidan Prize
editIn May 2016, Chen founded the Yidan Prize, funded by an independent trust of HK $2.5 billion (US$320 million). The award was established to recognize innovators and those who had made contributions to education.[17][18][6][19] The Prize included two annual awards, the Yidan Prize for Education Development and the Yidan Prize for Education Research.[17] Each prize included a cash award of HK $15 million as well as a project fund of HK $15 million.[17][2]
Recognition
editIn 2015 Yidan was named to the China Philanthropy Institute's list of top Chinese philanthropists.[20] In 2016, he appeared on the China Charity Ranking List as well.[21] In June 2017, he was named one of China's top philanthropists by Forbes.[22]
References
edit- ^ Flannery, Russell. "How China's Social Media Giant Tencent Is Shaking Up Traditional Philanthropy". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
- ^ a b c d "Chinese billionaire offers biggest education prize". The BBC. 2017-01-18. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
- ^ "CHARLES CHEN YIDAN CHANGED THE INTERNET IN CHINA FOREVER AS TENCENT'S CO-FOUNDER — NOW HE'S TRANSFORMING EDUCATION WORLDWIDE". Singapore Management University. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
- ^ Wile, Rob (November 27, 2017). "Meet the Mysterious Billionaire Whose Social Media Company Has Become More Valuable Than Facebook". Money.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
- ^ Flannery, Russell. "Low-Profile China Internet Billionaire Zhang Zhidong Leaves Tencent's Board, CTO Job". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
- ^ a b c Musaddique, Shafi (2018-07-06). "How the co-founder of one of Asia's biggest tech companies became China's most charitable man". CNBC. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
- ^ a b "Jack Ma, Chen Yidan & 4 Other Chinese Business Leaders Went To This Top B-School". BusinessBecause. Archived from the original on 2018-08-02. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
- ^ "Tencent 腾讯 - Home". www.tencent.com. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
- ^ "Tencent 腾讯 - About Press Release". www.tencent.com. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
- ^ a b Flannery, Russell. "Core Founder Chen Yidan Leaves Top Post At Chinese Internet Giant Tencent". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
- ^ "Tencent Management Team 腾讯 - About". www.tencent.com. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ^ "Tencent 腾讯 - About". www.tencent.com. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
- ^ Tencent-CP. "Introduction of the Foundation - Chen Yidan foundation's official website". www.cydfoundation.org. Archived from the original on 16 September 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ hermes (2016-06-06). "Education 'can solve society's woes'". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
- ^ "Introduction | wuhancollege Website". www.whxy.edu.cn. Archived from the original on 2017-03-24. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
- ^ "Education is top of the giving class". The Financial Times. 2017-03-08. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
- ^ a b c "Chen Yidan gives HK$2.5 bln to fund education prize". EJ Insight. 2016-05-22. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
- ^ CNBC (2018-07-06). "CNBC Transcript: Charles Chen Yidan, Co-Founder, Tencent". CNBC. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
- ^ Feng, Rebecca. "Tencent Co-founder Kicks Off World's Largest Education Prizes". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
- ^ "Chinese woman tycoon tops list of country's most generous givers with 2.92billion yuan donation". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
- ^ "Women's Foundation Ranks 2nd on National Public Donation List - All China Women's Federation". www.womenofchina.cn. Archived from the original on 2017-03-23. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
- ^ Koppisch, John. "Asia's 2017 Heroes Of Philanthropy". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-08-13.