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
Born1971 (age 52–53)
NationalityChinese
Alma materShenzhen 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

edit

Chen 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

edit

In 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

edit

In March 2013, Chen Yidan founded the Chen Yidan Charity Foundation after stepping down from his role as CAO of Tencent.[13][6]

Wuhan College

edit

In 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

edit

In 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

edit

In 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
  1. ^ Flannery, Russell. "How China's Social Media Giant Tencent Is Shaking Up Traditional Philanthropy". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  2. ^ a b c d "Chinese billionaire offers biggest education prize". The BBC. 2017-01-18. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Flannery, Russell. "Low-Profile China Internet Billionaire Zhang Zhidong Leaves Tencent's Board, CTO Job". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Tencent 腾讯 - Home". www.tencent.com. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  9. ^ "Tencent 腾讯 - About Press Release". www.tencent.com. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  10. ^ a b Flannery, Russell. "Core Founder Chen Yidan Leaves Top Post At Chinese Internet Giant Tencent". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
  11. ^ "Tencent Management Team 腾讯 - About". www.tencent.com. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
  12. ^ "Tencent 腾讯 - About". www.tencent.com. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ hermes (2016-06-06). "Education 'can solve society's woes'". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  15. ^ "Introduction | wuhancollege Website". www.whxy.edu.cn. Archived from the original on 2017-03-24. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  16. ^ "Education is top of the giving class". The Financial Times. 2017-03-08. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  17. ^ a b c "Chen Yidan gives HK$2.5 bln to fund education prize". EJ Insight. 2016-05-22. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
  18. ^ CNBC (2018-07-06). "CNBC Transcript: Charles Chen Yidan, Co-Founder, Tencent". CNBC. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
  19. ^ Feng, Rebecca. "Tencent Co-founder Kicks Off World's Largest Education Prizes". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
  20. ^ "Chinese woman tycoon tops list of country's most generous givers with 2.92billion yuan donation". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  21. ^ "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.
  22. ^ Koppisch, John. "Asia's 2017 Heroes Of Philanthropy". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-08-13.