Tsao Family Foundation

Calvin Tsao, FAIA is a leading voice in contemporary architecture, whose work draws from a deep engagement with a variety of art forms and from an interdisciplinary approach encompassing urban planning, architecture, interior design, and product design. As founding partners of Tsao & McKown Architects in New York City, he and Zack McKown have won a wide array of professional awards including the AIANY Medal of Honor (2022), the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Award for Interior Design (2009), the Interior Design Hall of Fame (2001), and most recently, Interior Design Best of Year 2025, Best of the Best: Health + Wellness, for Sangha. Beyond his studio, he has taught at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD), which presented its Alumni Council Award to him in 2024 and where he has been a longtime member of the Dean's Council. He has also taught at The Cooper Union, Syracuse University, and The New School/Parsons School of Design. He has been a lecturer, panelist, or guest critic at many U.S. and overseas institutions. He is Chair of the Board of the American Academy in Rome, where he was a resident in 2010, and is President Emeritus of the Architectural League of New York, where he continues to serve as a director. Through the Tsao Family Foundation, Mr. Tsao has recently effected major endowments for both the Harvard GSD and the American Academy in Rome, establishing the Real Estate Practicum at the GSD, the Tsao Family Rome Prize, the Tsao Family Residency, and the Tsao Family and Harvard University Graduate School of Design Affiliated Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome.

Dr. Mary Ann Tsao is Vice Chair of the Tsao Family Foundation, bringing a rare combination of medical training, community development, family stewardship, and decades of on-the-ground philanthropic experience to the Foundation. She is Chair of the Tsao Family Office, which is dedicated to deploying the family's full range of assets — across both investments and philanthropy — in service of impact. She also serves as Chairwoman and Founding Director of the Tsao (Ng Yu Shun) Foundation, a Singapore-based, regionally oriented operational foundation she established in 1993 to advance population health, successful longevity, and the wellbeing of older people across Asia. A US-trained paediatrician with a background in public health, Dr. Tsao has spent more than thirty years working on strategies at the intersection of healthcare, ageing, and philanthropy. In 2022, the World Health Organization recognized her as one of the first fifty Global Pioneers working to build a better world for older people — one of many national and international honours she has received for her contributions to the field. Beyond her work in Singapore, Dr. Tsao currently serves as a Board Director of the Lausanne-based Family Business Network International (FBNI) and as a Trustee of Wellesley College, her alma mater. She is a frequent speaker on philanthropy, family enterprise, and healthy longevity. At the Tsao Family Foundation, Dr. Tsao brings this lifetime of experience to bear on a new chapter of the family's philanthropic work — including its emerging strategy on climate and health in Southeast Asia.

Chavalit Frederick Tsao is the fourth-generation steward of TPC (Tsao Pao Chee), a family enterprise with roots dating back to the late 1800s during the Qing Dynasty and formally registered under its name in 1906. Born in Hong Kong and educated at the University of Michigan, he joined the family business at age 20 and became Chairman at 37. He also served as Chairman of Intercargo, fostering global collaboration in the maritime sector. In 1995, he founded the East-West Cultural Development Centre — today's OCTAVE Institute — to bridge Eastern philosophy and Western science. This lifelong inquiry laid the foundation for what he later articulated as Quantum Leadership — a model rooted in oneness, well-being, and holistic systems thinking, co-authored with Professor Chris Laszlo and published by Stanford Business Books in 2019. Chavalit champions the belief that business must be purpose-led — a force beyond profit. This conviction is the heartbeat of his transformation of TPC, anchored in a bold new mission: "To serve the well-being of life and create wealth at the same time." He has brought this vision to life by pioneering OCTAVE — a living ecosystem that supports an integrated life journey toward personal, organisational, and societal well-being. OCTAVE reflects his belief that inner development must go hand-in-hand with systems change. As a fourth-generation steward, Chavalit has redefined what it means to carry forward a family enterprise across eras. At the helm of TPC, he has led its evolution from a maritime trading house into a purpose-led multinational ecosystem designed to redirect capital and shape long-term systems transformation in service of the Well-being Economy. He established the IMC Pan Asia Alliance and forged global partnerships rooted in mutual growth, guided by the belief that enduring success is co-created through long-term collaboration, values alignment, and intergenerational stewardship. In 2024, he restored the company's original 1906 trade name — Tsao Pao Chee — as the umbrella identity of the family enterprise, reaffirming the moral foundations and family ethos of "evolving to serve the era." A foundational milestone of his stewardship came in 2015, when Chavalit reorganised his personal relationship with wealth. The business interest was fully vested into a purpose trust — and ownership gave way to stewardship as the operating relationship between the family and its assets. Today, he is transforming TPC into a living system that moves not only goods, but capital, governance, and regenerative value across borders.

Cheryd Tsao is a fourth-generation member of the Tsao family and serves on the Family Council, where she helps steward the family’s long-term vision across its business and philanthropic endeavours. She is passionate about impact investing, with a particular focus on food security and sustainable food systems. Guided by the belief that capital can be a force for good, she champions purpose-led and ESG-informed approaches that seek to generate both enduring value and positive societal impact. Preferring to lead from behind the scenes, Cheryd is dedicated to building a legacy of thoughtful stewardship and creating a more resilient future for generations to come.

Sonia is a fifth-generation member of the Tsao family, whose business and philanthropic ecosystem includes Tsao Pao Chee (TPC), Tsao Family Office (TFO), and Tsao Family Foundation (TFF). She is also the Co-Founder and Partner at Canopy Generations Fund, a fund focused on driving global impact in new and frontier areas, including energy transition, digital infrastructure, and carbon markets. Sonia shares the belief that family businesses hold a unique opportunity to build a better future for generations to come. Before founding Canopy Gen, Sonia spent a decade in early-stage technology startups in New York and California. Throughout her career, Sonia has focused on the intersection of East and West, with experience working in the US, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Sonia graduated with a B.A. in Anthropology and International Relations from Tufts University and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is currently based in Singapore with her co-founder/husband and three children. In her spare time, Sonia can be found hiking, travelling, and exploring art museums.

Priyanka Agarwal is the Executive Director of the Tsao Family Foundation, where she leads initiatives focused on climate, mindfulness, culture and creating worldview and mindset change. She brings with her decades of experience in the sector and a passion for driving systemic sustainable impact. Prior to joining Tsao Family Foundation, she was the President of The American Women's Association of Hong Kong where she led the establishment of the Foundation and supported grassroot charities in Hong Kong. She was also Director of FlexTalent, a pioneering start-up matching project-based opportunities for middle management. She also briefly worked at The Fred Hollows Foundation to create a base in Singapore for their work in Southeast Asia. Priyanka is a certified Chartered Accountant with diverse experience of working across industries and brings her experience of living in multiple countries and cultures into the workplace.

Audrey Chooi is Head of Finance & Operations at the Tsao Family Foundation, where she brings nearly three decades of cross-sector expertise to advance philanthropic impact. She oversees governance, stakeholder engagement, and financial health while leading the Foundation's innovative finance initiatives. Grounded in deep commitment to the Foundation's mission, Audrey integrates rigorous operational excellence with a mission-first approach, believing these are essential drivers of meaningful change. Her background as an accountant enables her to connect technical financial strategy with shared values.

Natasha Rynjah is Head of Programs at the Tsao Family Foundation, where she leads strategy alignment, partnership development, and the design of philanthropic programs across the Foundation's climate and culture portfolios. Deeply committed to people-centred philanthropy, her work focuses on systemic and sustainable approaches that place human wellbeing, dignity, and lived experience at the core of climate action and cultural transformation. Prior to joining Tsao Family Foundation, Natasha was Assistant Director for Capital Mobilisation at AVPN, where she worked extensively on mobilising philanthropic capital, strengthening nonprofit capacity, and shaping enabling conditions for impact across Asia.

Gladys Tan is Program Manager (Climate) at Tsao Family Foundation, where she works on just energy transition, climate and health, and sustainable mindset and behaviour change initiatives across Asia. She is a climate and sustainable development practitioner with experience spanning philanthropy, multilateral organisations, and regional resilience networks, including Resilient Cities Network, Temasek Foundation, and UNDP. Gladys holds an MSc in Environmental Policy and Regulation from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a BA (Hons) in Urban Studies from Yale-NUS College.

Margaret Yong is Executive Assistant at the Tsao Family Foundation, where she provides administrative and operational support to the team and contributes to the smooth execution of the Foundation's programs and initiatives. She brings 25 years of executive and administrative experience, and is passionate about continuous learning and personal growth, supporting the Foundation's vision of fostering a flourishing life for all.