Albert Chao (born 1949) is a Taiwanese-American chemical industry executive and the Executive Chairman of the Board and a director of Westlake Chemical Corporation and Westlake Chemical Partners LP. He was the CEO of Westlake Corporation from July 2004 to July 2024.[2] In 2019, Albert and James Chao received the Petrochemical Heritage Award as part of the International Petrochemical Conference.[1] He also serves as a director of Suzhou Huasu Plastics Co., Ltd of China.[3]

Albert Chao
Albert Chao, 2009
Born1949 (1949)
NationalityTaiwanese
OccupationBusinessman
Known forPetrochemical and plastics industry
AwardsPetrochemical Heritage Award, 2019[1]

Early life

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Chao was born in 1949 and grew up in Taiwan. His father Ting Tsung Chao was born in China and moved to Taiwan with his family in 1946.[4] In the mid-1980s, Chao's family moved from Taiwan to the U.S.[5]

Education

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Albert Chao received a bachelor's degree from Brandeis University and earned an M.B.A. from Columbia University.[6]

He served on Rice University's Board of Trustees.[7]

Companies

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In 1986 T.T. Chao and his sons Albert and James Y. Chao founded Westlake Chemical, the largest manufacturer of low-density polyethylene in the US.[8] Albert Chao served as an executive vice president of Westlake Chemical Corporation beginning in 1986, became president in mid-1996, and in 2004, became the company's president and CEO.[1]

The Chao family also founded Suzhou Huasu Plastics Company in China as of 1993, and Titan Chemicals Corporation in Malaysia as of 1998. Albert Chao serves as a director of Suzhou Huasu Plastics Company.[1] In 2012, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index suggested his wealth to be at least $1.4 billion.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Petrochemical Heritage Award". Science History Institute. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  2. ^ Anonymous (2016-03-03). "Albert Y. Chao". Westlake Corporation. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  3. ^ "Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas". www.dallasfed.org. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
  4. ^ Abram, Lynwood (March 16, 2008). "Chao, pioneered petrochemical ventures around the world". Chron. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  5. ^ "Westlake Chemical's family owners are new billionaires". Family Business. September 19, 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  6. ^ "Albert Chao". Westlake Chemical. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  7. ^ "Rice and Houston lose the 'wise, generous, elegant and kind' W.F. Chao". news2.rice.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  8. ^ a b "Hidden Billionaires Unmasked as Westlake Chemical Soars". Bloomberg. September 18, 2012.