Zhang Xin

Despite a poor childhood under Chairman Mao, Xin has become one of the world’s richest women, proving how hard work, grit and determination can pay off. Her teenage years spent as a factory worker are a far cry from her life as founder and CEO of SOHO China, the property empire that has transformed the […]

Despite a poor childhood under Chairman Mao, Xin has become one of the world’s richest women, proving how hard work, grit and determination can pay off. Her teenage years spent as a factory worker are a far cry from her life as founder and CEO of SOHO China, the property empire that has transformed the Beijing landscape and netted her $3.6bn. Xin moved to London to study economics aged 19 and set up the company in 1995 with her husband Pan Shiyi. Now 48, Xin stays active, regularly advising the Asia Business Council.