Zach Du Chao has long been at ease in boardrooms out of reach to most, bringing with him the access and capital that move decisions forward. Born into a prominent Chinese business family with global interests, Du Chao spent his youth absorbing lessons in cross-cultural commerce before studying international relations abroad. What followed has been a decade of navigating private equity circles, fashion councils, humanitarian organisations, and public health networks—a trajectory that reflects a deliberate effort to bridge access, influence, and impact.
Du Chao is a strategic advisor to ACA Ventures in Singapore, working alongside founder Jung Kyu Kim and board director Christopher Yan; he also serves as a Global Philanthropy Mentor at NYU Shanghai and a Champion for Children for UNICEF, and has recently assumed a 12-month tenure as Chair of the Vogue Singapore Foundation. His methodology is straightforward: deploy connections, international credentials, and financial resources to identify problems and fund solutions—an approach he frames as “impact entrepreneurship.”
Du Chao’s stated philosophy centres on responsibility, and that privilege should translate into empowering others rather than personal recognition. In his first conversation with Beyond the Boardroom, Du Chao discusses his approach to mentorship, youth mental health challenges, fashion’s role in social issues, and his goal of creating what he calls an ecosystem where commercial success and social purpose can coexist.
You credit Dr Ray Yip from the Gates Foundation for reshaping how you see philanthropy. What impact has he had on you as a mentor?
Dr Yip fundamentally reshaped how I think about impact. I once held a fairly reductive view of philanthropy; the idea that you step in briefly during moments of crisis, provide immediate aid, and then step away. He made me realise it’s nothing of the sort. It’s amazing how he approaches philanthropy with the same discipline that one would bring to running a global enterprise. It demands clear strategy, the alignment of competing interests, and long-term vision. He’s showed me how to convene governments, private sponsors, and NGOs around a shared agenda, not simply to contribute, but to build systems designed to endure. He also encouraged me to study international relations, believing it would equip me to deploy my networks and resources with greater purpose. That guidance has stayed with me ever since, and it continues to shape how I approach everything I do.
You’ve worked across a number of meaningful causes, but UNICEF seems especially close to your heart. What is it about their mission that resonates so deeply with you?
My connection to UNICEF actually began through Dr Yip, before his work with the Gates Foundation and the CDC, he was Chief of Health and Nutrition there. At first, I thought our focus should be purely medical: vaccines, supplies, that sort of thing, especially during the pandemic. But as I began reading more about what was happening on the ground, I came across stories of schools in under-resourced regions shutting down completely. For many children from low-income families, school isn’t just about learning, it’s their only route to a different future. When that disappeared, their hope disappeared with it. Some of them began to feel life had no meaning. Some made devastating decisions.
That realisation has stayed with me. I wanted to use my resources to help UNICEF set up programmes that gave students tablets and access to electricity, just so they could keep learning from home and hold onto that sense of progress. Then, as we went deeper, it became clear that education alone wasn’t enough. You can’t talk about learning without also looking after their mental health. So, we worked with UNICEF to build university-level programmes centred on emotional wellbeing, and brought in partners like the Ban Ki-moon Foundation to support with medical expertise and even small environmental changes to make those spaces feel safe and uplifting again. For me, it’s always been about more than UNICEF, it’s about protecting hope. Mental health challenges don’t recognise borders. If we don’t protect young people’s sense of purpose, we risk weakening the very structure of society itself.
“Young people don’t just need to be told they matter, they need to be shown they have a future that’s actually within reach.”
When it comes to youth mental health, what in particular concerns you most? And is it something you see as a uniquely Asia-based issue, or part of a wider global pattern?
I don’t see it as an Asia-specific issue at all, it’s something playing out everywhere. What concerns me most is what happens when young people lose their sense of direction completely. It’s rarely about rebellion or defiance; most destructive behaviour comes from feeling invisible, from believing no one expects anything of you. When that sense of purpose disappears, everything else starts to unravel. I’ve seen some meaningful approaches. In the UK for example, Euan Blair’s organisation Multiverse (rebranded from WhiteHat in 2021), creates alternative pathways for young people who don’t follow traditional academic routes, giving them access to high-level apprenticeships, professional training and real jobs at leading companies. What stands out to me is that these efforts pair emotional support with real opportunity. Young people don’t just need to be told they matter, they need to be shown they have a future that’s actually within reach.
You describe yourself as an “impact entrepreneur” which is quite a distinctive way to frame your work. What does that mean to you, and how do you balance the worlds of philanthropy and commerce?
My professional role gives me a foundation, but I’ve always looked at business through a different lens. In addition to Dr. Yip, two others have shaped that mindset in me early on—Ren Minghui at the WHO, and Wei Sun Christianson, who was the APEC CEO of Morgan Stanley and the first Asian woman on LVMH’s board. Christianson once said to me, “Impact is also wealth,” and that completely reframed how I think about success. For me, wealth isn’t the end goal, it’s what you do with it. Numbers in a bank account don’t define value. Real value is how well you use your resources to lift other people up. I admire figures that generate strong returns but also create measurable benefits for society. That balance is what I mean by impact entrepreneurship. It’s not profit versus purpose, it’s proving they can reinforce each other.
How does your role at ACA Ventures fit into your broader vision, and what has it been like working alongside its founders?
ACA fits naturally into how I see impact, proving that business can be designed to serve both purpose and performance. It’s an investment firm focused on tackling structural challenges like clean energy, sustainable agriculture, food security, and pollution-free industries, while building long-term value. I work closely with Jung Kyu Kim, who founded ACA after his time at McKinsey, and Christopher Yan, who serves as a Board Director. They both have an unusual ability to think in terms of systems rather than individual companies, to see where value is being lost, where industries are stuck, and to back ventures that can unblock those bottlenecks. That kind of thinking aligns closely with my own: using capital not just to fund growth, but to reshape what growth can mean.
Another arena you’ve ventured into is fashion. What about this industry draws you in from a philanthropic point of view?
Fashion might seem like an unusual space for philanthropy, but for me it makes perfect sense. It has enormous cultural reach, it shapes how people see the world, how they express themselves, what conversations even make it into the mainstream, and that influence carries a responsibility. Fashion has the ability to change public discourse, and that kind of visibility can accelerate progress on things like ESG values, climate awareness, and environmental responsibility. I’ve worked on collaborations that bring together fashion brands and charitable organisations, giving them access to pro bono advertising space or using high-profile events to bring influential voices into the same room and focus attention on causes that matter. For me, that’s the power of fashion: it shows how creativity and responsibility can exist in the same space—and when they do, the impact can be extraordinary.
You’ve just helmed the role of Chair of the Vogue Singapore Foundation for the next 12 months. How does this fit into your broader mission?
For me, it’s a natural extension of everything I’ve been building, bridging creativity with impact. The Vogue Singapore Foundation has always been about championing the next generation of creative talent, and over the next 12 months I want to use that platform to give young creatives the resources, mentorship and visibility they need to thrive. It’s about helping them push boundaries, experiment boldly, and build work that can shape culture on a global scale. I see it as a chance to prove that creativity isn’t just about aesthetics, it can drive systemic change when you give young people the tools and belief to lead the future.
You often credit your family for giving you the freedom to chase your ambitions. What values from them have stayed with you the most?
I grew up surrounded by people who made taking risks feel safe. My father always encouraged me to think beyond borders—to be curious, to explore different industries and cultures until I found what genuinely inspired me. My mother has given me resilience; she’s incredibly strong, and I think I learned determination from watching her. And my grandfather was the anchor—he’d always reassure my mother, “Don’t worry. Let him try. We’ll stand behind him.” That kind of safety net changes you. It gave me the confidence to take bold steps without the fear of being abandoned if I failed. Even now, my closest friends have become part of that circle, the people who remind me who I am when things get hard.
Looking ahead, what do you hope to build over the next decade?
I want to build an ecosystem that helps young people rise, one that combines mental health support, access to education, and space to explore their creativity. I’d like to break down some of the cultural walls between countries too, because so many conflicts come from simple misunderstanding. If we can get people talking, we can get them understanding each other. Ultimately, if people can one day say I used my privilege to open doors for others, that would be enough for me.
