Angela Chao, the CEO and chairwoman of Foremost Group, a bulk shipping company based in New York, has tragically passed away following a car accident on February 12, at the age of 50.
Born in 1974 into a family deeply rooted in the shipping sector, Chao was the youngest of James Chao’s six daughters. James, along with her late mother Ruth Mulan Chu Chao, founded Foremost Group in 1964.
Chao began her career at Foremost in 1996, transitioning from the mergers and acquisitions division of Smith Barney, now part of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. She assumed leadership of the company in 2018.
James Chao, speaking on behalf of the Chao family, recalled Angela’s early interest in the shipping industry, fondly mentioning her participation in “take your daughter to work” days.
Aside from her role at Foremost, Chao served on the boards of the American Bureau of Shipping Council and the advisory board for the International Maritime Business Department at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, among other positions.
She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College with a degree in economics and earned her MBA from Harvard Business School. During her studies, Chao leveraged her shipping expertise to craft a case study titled “Ocean Carriers,” which remains part of the core curriculum for first-year students.
Angela Chao First Husband: Who Was Bruce Alan Wasserstein?
Angela Chao was first married to Bruce Alan Wasserstein, a notable investment banker and financier.
Wasserstein held the position of CEO at Lazard, a prominent financial advisory and asset management firm, and he was highly influential in the field of mergers and acquisitions.
Wasserstein sadly passed away in 2009. Angela Chao and Bruce Wasserstein had been married for approximately fifteen years before his passing.