Zhang Lei

Zhang Lei (born 1972) is a Chinese investor and philanthropist. He is the founder and chairman of Hillhouse Investment.

Early life and education Zhang was born in 1972 in Zhumadian, a city in Henan province, central China. He received a scholarship to Renmin University of China, where he received a bachelor's degree in economics in 1994.

In 1999, while studying at the Yale University, Zhang took a class taught by David F. Swensen, who was the chief investment officer of the Yale Endowment. After graduating, Zhang took a role with Virginia equities firm EMM, covering Southeast Asia. He obtained certification as a chartered financial analyst (CFA) in 2013.

Career Zhang founded Hillhouse Investment in 2005, with $20 million of seed capital from Yale University's endowment fund. Hillhouse invests globally, with a particular focus on Asia, and manages about US $50 billion of assets as of September 2018. Major investors include Yale, Stanford and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB).

Zhang is a founding board member of the United World College (UWC) of Southeast Asia Foundation. Zhang is vice chairman and a trustee of the board at Renmin University of China. In June 2016, Yale Corporation appointed Zhang as a trustee. In 2020, he was named to the board of directors of FCLTGlobal and serves on the advisory board for the Bloomberg New Economy Forum.

In 2014, Zhang donated US$8.88 million to the Yale School of Management, which at the time was the largest donation made to the business school. . He has also been involved with the BN Vocational School (BNVS) in China.

As of May 2026, Forbes estimates his net worth at $3 billion. He is married and has two children.