Shiyi Pan
Mr. Shiyi Pan is the Chairman and Co-founder of SOHO China, one of the largest prime office developers in the country. Guided by his vision to promote the Internet economy, Mr. Pan launched “SOHO 3Q,” a co-working flexible space for young entrepreneurs and innovative companies. Prior to this, Mr. Pan worked at the former Ministry of Petroleum Industry and in real estate development in Beijing. He also co-founded Beijing Vantone Co. Ltd., a developer listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Mr. Pan is a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, and a participant to the Special Olympics Senior Advisors Committee for the East Asia region.
As one of the first proponents and advocates of the digital revolution and social media in China, Mr. Pan has a strong public presence and is well-known in “Weibo”, the Chinese version of “Twitter” where he has over 19 million followers. Mr. Pan is committed to environmental causes and helps raise public awareness on energy conservation and air quality issues. His philanthropy led him and his wife Zhang Xin, also co-founder of SOHO China, to join the Breakthrough Energy Coalition led by Bill Gates aimed at promoting clean energy technologies. Furthermore, the SOHO China Foundation founded in 2005 seeks to support underprivileged families through education scholarships and financial aid offered to Chinese students accepted into leading universities.
Born in an impoverished rural village in Gansu Province, Mr. Pan’s business acumen and attention to detail pushed him to become one of “the most-eye-catching real estate developers” in China as described by China Central Television (CCTV).
