D. Teddy Zhang '97

Biography

D. Teddy Zhang is a co-founder of Thayer International Group, a global hospitality investment firm established with partners Lee Pillsbury and Fred Malek. With more than 25 years of experience in the travel and lodging sector, he has played a key role in the firm’s growth and investment strategy.

During his tenure at Thayer, Zhang served as managing director of Thayer Lodging Group, a private equity firm specializing in hotel investments. In this role, he led new ventures, international expansion and acquisition strategies. The firm completed major investments, including stakes in The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., Interstate Hotels Group and Louvre Hotels Group.

Zhang also contributed to the expansion of Jinjiang Hotels Group, supporting its growth from fewer than 100 properties to a global portfolio of more than 6,500 hotels through a series of strategic joint ventures and acquisitions.

In addition to his investment work, Zhang founded HUBS1, a hotel reservation platform that served the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. The platform supported millions of visitors and was recognized by Red Herring as one of the top companies in Asia and globally.

Zhang has received several industry recognitions for leadership and entrepreneurial achievement and has been featured in business and trade publications.

He has also been active in academia, serving as an advisor to the dean of the School of Hotel Administration (now the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration) at Cornell University, and as a member of advisory boards. He has held academic appointments at Kyoto University and participated in Cornell’s Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series.

Zhang earned a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.