As CEO, Zhang Xin has led SOHO China to become the largest developer of prime office real estate in China, with over 5.5msq metres in projects in Beijing and Shanghai. Her visionary works with top international architects have led her to be widely acclaimed as a creative force for China.

After working in investment banking for Goldman Sachs and Travelers Group in Hong Kong, she returned to Beijing to co-found SOHO China. Zhang Xin’s triumphant entrepreneurship and personal story have led her to be recognised internationally as an emblem of the China's growth, and domestically as a celebrity figure with over 8.8m followers on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter.

In 2005 Zhang Xin and her husband Pan Shiyi established the SOHO China Foundation, a charity guided by the mission of advancing education as a means for alleviating poverty. In 2014, the SOHO China Foundation launched the SOHO China Scholarships, a US$100m initiative supporting financial aid for Chinese students at leading international universities.

Zhang Xin earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Sussex University and a master’s degree in development economics from Cambridge University.