Derek Chen (Las Vegas/Irvine/Taipei)

Founder & Chairman

Derek Chen is the Founder and Chairman of Chenco Holding Company. Chenco is a diversified real estate and investment management firm that creates long-term value through U.S. real estate private equity fund management and real estate operating company investments. Since 1991, the group of companies has completed over $20 billion in total acquisition. Mr. Chen is also a co-founder of The Bascom Group, a California-based asset manager that has ranked among the top 50 multifamily owners in the U.S., and Premier Workspaces, the largest privately held executive suite company in the U.S. Additionally, Mr. Chen co-founded China Prosper Investment Management Co., Ltd., a mainland China NDRC-licensed private equity fund manager. China Post Group and CITIC are also major shareholders of the company.

Mr. Chen previously served as the President of the International Leadership Foundation for over ten years. In 2007, Mr. Chen received the President’s Call to Service Award from President George W. Bush’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. In 2004, Mr. Chen was named Apartment Executive of the Year by the Real Estate Conference Group, the largest and most prestigious multifamily conference on the U.S. West Coast. Mr. Chen has also received the National Director’s Award for Access to Capital, bestowed by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency.

Mr. Chen studied Chemical Engineering at National Taiwan University. He holds both a Master of Business Administration degree in Real Estate and a Master of Science degree in Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Edward Chou (Taipei)

Managing Director

Mr. Edward Chou rejoined Chenco Group in April 2006 as Managing Director concentrating on fundraising, fund management, and general management. Mr. Chou was the Executive Vice President of Fubon Real Estate Management Corporation, the fund and asset manager of Fubon REIT No. 1 and No. 2 (TWSE 01001T, 01004T). Total asset under management exceeds US$460 million. Mr. Chou was designated as the Asset Manager of Fubon REIT No. 2. In June 2002, Mr. Chou joined Sinolinks Investment Corporation of Chenco Group as Exec. VP and COO. Previously, he acted as the President of Yu Tai Ltd., the largest real estate investing arm of the Kuomintang (KMT) party, managing an asset portfolio of over US$500 million. Prior to it, he was the Senior Vice President in Real Estate Investment for Central Investment Holding Limited, one of Taiwan’s largest equity investment companies, and worked as head of investment for Pacific Construction Co., and then market leader.

Mr. Chou has significant experience in all areas of real estate and finance. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Tunghai University, an Executive MBA degree from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and a Master degree of Architecture in Urban Design from Harvard University.

Fred Liao (Irvine)

Managing Director & CEO, U.S. Operations

Mr. Liao has been affiliated with Chenco Holdings since the early 1990s.  Currently, he serves as the Managing Director & CEO of U.S. Operations. Mr. Liao is primarily responsible for managing the U.S. team and interfacing with Chenco’s U.S. operating companies. Prior to joining Chenco, Mr. Liao was a real estate attorney for 15 years and also served as the CEO of a residential real estate development and construction company which acquired and developed over 100 projects in Southern California.

Education: BA Economics University of California Los Angeles, Juris Doctor U.C. Hasting College of Law, Owner/Presidents Executive Business Management Program, Harvard Business School.

Professional Affiliations:  State Bar of California, California Board of Realtors, UC Berkeley Fisher Center for Real Estate Policy Advisory Board, Urban Land Institute.

Dennis Chan (Irvine)

Managing Partner

Dennis Chan joined Chenco Holdings in 2021 as Managing Partner coordinating key investor relationships. He is now the independent director of Woori Financial Holdings and Crédit Agricole CIB China. During his 30 years career in the financial industry, Mr. Chan has spent half of his time working in the Asia Pacific region including China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He was in the posts of vice-chairman, CEO of Fubon Bank (China) and senior advisor to CEO of Fubon Financial Holdings during 2011-2019, and managing director of Fullerton/Temasek Holdings from 2005 to 2011. Prior to moving abroad, he served in several managerial positions in Taiwan banks including executive vice-president of Chinatrust Commercial Bank, and commercial banking group head of Citibank (Taiwan). 

Mr. Chan graduated from Georgetown University in 1991 with an MBA degree. 

Robert Young (Las Vegas)

Managing Director

Mr. Young concentrates in maintaining relationship with governments and public sectors as well as coordination with substantial investors in the U.S. Mr. Young is currently the Chairman of the Asian Chamber of Commerce at Las Vegas, a Director of United Way, and a Director of the Better Business Bureau. Prior to joining Chenco, Mr. Young was a private banker for 15 years with Merrill Lynch and Citibank where he managed more than US$60,000,000 in investments. Before that, he was the Vice President for 10 years with Merrill Lynch Capital Markets in its Commercial Real Estate Division.

Mr. Young graduated with an executive MBA in marketing from UCLA and received Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation in 1986. He holds U.S. securities license Series 3, 7, 22, 63 and 65. He is a frequent speaker on conducting business with Asian enterprises.

Fernando Bensuaski (Las Vegas)

Managing Director & CFO

Fernando Bensuaski serves as Managing Director & CFO and oversees various administrative aspects of the company, is a member of our Executive Committe. Prior to joining Chenco, Mr. Bensuaski was chief financial officer for two SEC reporting companies, developed 710 housing units and other property in the US, and advised companies in the US, Western Europe and China. He has lived and worked in six countries, including five years living in Shanghai. He was an advisor to the World Economic Forum (2004-2006) on matters affecting private equity investments in China. Mr. Bensuaski lectured on general and financial management at various institutions, including China’s Renmin University and Nankai University. He holds a degree in Physics and has completed various advanced programs on management and finance.

Justin Hsu (Irvine)

Managing Director & COO

Justin Hsu is responsible for investment analysis as a member of the acquisitions team at Chenco. In addition, he conducts due diligence, performs transaction execution functions, and assists with the creation of investment packages.

Prior to joining Chenco, Mr. Hsu worked as an analyst on various project teams at Facebook, LVMH, Moët, Hennessy, Louis Vuitton, SE and the Golden State Warriors.

Mr. Hsu holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and earned his MBA at Cornell University.

Jack Lin (Taipei)

Senior Vice President

Mr. Lin has been with Chenco for 12 years. His main responsibility is in real estate fund fundraising, investment and management functions. He has over 14 years experience in real estate investment and management. Prior to joining Chenco, Mr. Lin was a real estate investment analyst at AIG Nan Shan Insurance Corporation and AIGGRE, and had been involved in investment acquisition of office, industrial office, retail mall, mix-use building, and residential development projects. His experiences entail the underwriting and acquisition of more than US$200 million in real estate.

Mr. Lin holds a Bachelor of Finance degree from the University of Northern British Columbia in Canada.

Han Jang (Irvine)

Senior Vice President

Prior to joining Chenco, Mr. Jang was the Vice President of Asset Management at Shea Properties, overseeing 10,000 units in the state of California, Washington, and Colorado. While at Shea, Han was responsible for a 26-asset multifamily portfolio, ranging from stabilized, lease-up, and repositioning properties, with a combined net operating income of $190MM. 

From 2013 to 2018, Mr. Jang was the Vice President of Acquisition and Development at SteelWave, focusing on the acquisition and repositioning of creative office and life science properties in Southern California. In 2015, SteelWave established its multifamily development arm, and Han became one of the three founding members that formed the residential division.

Han started his career in 2007 with the Bascom Group, a multifamily operator specializing in opportunistic and value-added apartment investments. When the Great Recession ended in 2010, Han led the first apartment acquisition in Houston (a $37.3 million distressed acquisition through a bankruptcy court) while establishing a $30MM programmatic joint-venture partnership with a Taiwanese company for the Bascom Group.

Han holds a dual-master degree in MBA and MRED (Master of Real Estate Development) from the University of Southern California.

Andrew Chen (Las Vegas)

Assistant Vice President

Responsible primarily for the Company’s financial reporting and the analysis of its U.S. real estate investments. Additionally, he provides assistance to the Company’s venture investment arm in China. Prior to joining Chenco, Mr. Chen was the Finance Manager of ETTV USA and Eastern Home Shopping America, the subsidiary of a Taiwanese media powerhouse, where he was responsible for establishing finance and accounting operations and expanding its banking relationship. Prior to that, Mr. Chen was the Director of Finance for a NASDAQ-listed telecom, where he assisted the company’s executive management in investors relations, budgeting, cash management and troubleshooting. Mr. Chen started his career as a Foreign Currency trader trainee at Far East National Bank, a subsidiary of Bank Sinopac, Taiwan.

Mr. Chen holds a Bachelor of Finance degree and Master of Business Administration in Finance from California State University, Fullerton. Mr. Chen holds a California Real Estate Broker license.

Renee Yu (Irvine)

Controller

Responsible for financial transactions and reporting for Chenco Holdings’ investment portfolios. Renee brings over 10 years of real estate accounting & finance experience. She started her real estate accounting career in 2002 with The Irvine Company. Subsequently she joined LBA Realty, a regional industrial & office real estate investment manager, then worked for Deutsch Bank’s RREEF division, a leading global real estate fund manager with assets under management of US$ 31 billion. For seven years, she personally managed RREEF’s REIT II, REIT III, and Calwest Fund assets, spanning the acquisition, ownership, management and development of high-quality class A office and industrial properties in major U.S. markets.

Renee Yu holds a MBA degree from Keller Management School honor program (2010) and also earned her bachelor in Accounting from California State University in Fullerton (2002).

Julia Chou (Taipei)

Accounting Manager

Paige Tsay (Las Vegas)

Accounting Manager

Main responsibilities include managing the daily accounting activities, managing wire transfer and cash management, maintaining banking relationships as well as office administration. Paige Tsay holds a Bachelor of Finance degree from University of Nevada, Las Vegas (2006).

Eric Liang (Taipei/Irvine)

Manager

Main responsibilities include fund management, fund operation, legal compliance, fund performance analysis, periodic reports, etc. Before joining Chenco, Mr. Liang interned at Jones Lang LaSalle strategic consulting department and also worked at a sustainable real estate consulting company as an analyst.

Mr. Liang earned his Bachelor of Art in Business Admin/Finance degree at Seattle University, and Master of Science in Real Estate at the University of San Diego. Mr. Liang holds the California Real Estate Salesperson License and is a qualified fund manager in China.

Yao Chang (Taipei)

Senior Analyst

Yao Chang serves as an investment analyst. His main responsibilities include assisting on fund management, fund performance analysis, and periodic reports. Before joining Chenco, Mr. Chang worked as an auditor at PwC Taipei, providing assurance services for large public companies listed on Taiwan Stock Exchange. He was also an economist at AECOM Shanghai for several urban planning projects in Mainland China.

Mr. Chang holds a Master of Science in Real Estate from New York University and earned his Bachelor degree in Money and Banking with double major in Land Economics and minor in Accounting at National Chengchi University. He also went on an exchange program to Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Nathan Chiang (Taipei/Irvine)

Senior Analyst

Nathan Chiang has 3 years of experience in commercial banking and 3 years in the investment industry. Previously, he served as a Senior Analyst at Ithaca Investment Partners in Hong Kong, where he was responsible for analyzing transaction structures for investment cases, conducting due diligence, industry analysis, and post-investment management.

Before joining Ithaca, Mr. Chiang worked as a Financial Analyst in both the Corporate Banking and Consumer Banking departments at Standard Chartered Bank. He assisted in operational data analysis, financial planning, and strategy formulation for various departments, as well as ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. Mr. Chiang also previously worked as an Executive Assistant and Financial Analyst at Li Tang Capital in Hong Kong, where he supported due diligence, investment structuring, and fund planning for investment cases.

Mr. Chiang obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Washington in 2013.

David Chen (Taipei)

Analyst

David Chen serves as an investment analyst. His main responsibilities include fund management, fund performance analysis, and periodic reports. Before serving as an analyst, Mr. Chen worked as an intern at Chenco, where he was responsible for drafting fund reports and conducting market research on U.S. macroeconomics and the commercial real estate industry. Prior to joining Chenco, he also worked as an intern in the investment banking division at IBF Securities and was responsible for the production of various capital market reports, equity research, and co-organization of the investor conference.

Mr. Chen earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a double major in Finance at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. He also studied for a Master of Business Administration at National Chengchi University.

Mandy Han (Taipei)

Analyst

Mandy Han is responsible for assisting with fund management and preparing periodic reports at Chenco. Prior to joining our team, Ms. Han gained valuable brokerage experience as a Capital Markets Analyst at JLL Taipei, where she assisted with the disposal and acquisition proposals of commercial real estate for both domestic and foreign clients. She also served as an Investment Analyst at Shayher Real Estate Development Group, where she focused on analyzing the financial feasibility of commercial real estate acquisitions in Australia.

Ms. Han holds a Master’s degree in Real Estate Development from the University of Arizona.

Annie Wang (Irvine)

Analyst

Annie serves as an investment analyst at Chenco. Her main responsibility is to monitor existing portfolios and perform due diligence on internal fund investments within the real
estate sector.

Prior to joining Chenco, Annie interned at Loop Capital APAC/China Desk Division. She also worked as a Customer Service Representative at the University of California, Irvine
and spent one year interning at The UK Exchange (UKEX) as an analyst.

Annie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the University of California, Irvine.

Shana Lin (Taipei)

Accountant

Marie Chen (Taipei)

Accountant

Marie Chen joined Chenco Holdings in May 2018 as an accountant and is responsible for the bookkeeping affairs of some off-shore entities. Prior to joining Chenco, Marie was the finance/accounting manager of Avex Taiwan (the subsidiary of the Avex Group in Japan), where she was responsible for the monthly financial closing and reporting and tax compliance. Prior to that, Marie worked as a business analyst/controller for the TW branch of Kimberly-Clarks and subsequently for Primax Co., Ltd.(TW listed company), and was mainly responsible for the financial budget planning and control for the business unit. Marie started her career in financial consulting industry in July 2001 and worked as an auditor in the CPA firms (the member of Arthur Andersen LLP until 2002/8 and restructured into the member of Deloitte & Touche LLP afterwards in Taiwan), and subsequently joined PricewaterhouseCoopers Taiwan to provide the tax consulting services (mainly transfer-price services).

Marie holds a Bachelor of Accounting from National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan.

Jamie Fang (Taipei)

Special Assistant to Chairman

Main responsibilities include assisting related business for the Chairman, investor relations, office administration and organizing company events. Prior to joining Chenco, Ms. Fang was the chief administration officer and international business representative at Friendly Dog Entertainment.

Ms. Fang holds a MAM degree from Columbia College Chicago.

Eva Shi (Taipei)

Administrative Assistance

Eva Shi joined Chenco in November 2013. Her main responsibilities include dailly office administrative duties and support all kinds of company activities. Prior to joining Chenco, Ms. Shi was the sales assistance at KPMG International.

Ms. Shi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance Management of National Taipei University of Technology.

John Gu (Tianjin)

Manager of Accounting

John Gu joined Chenco in 2007. He is the manager of accounting for CCM Tianjin and mainly engage in the management of TEPO project. Mr. Gu also liaises with China Prosper and help them with part of their works in Tianjin, and manages the accounting for CPC, which is the joint venture of China Prosper and Chenco. Mr. Gu has more than 25 years of experience working in accounting and finance. Prior to joining Chenco, Mr. Gu has worked for P&G, Macquarie, WesTrac and Auchan.

Sabrina Wang (Tianjin)

Executive Assistant

Sabrina Wang joined Chenco since 2007. She provides executive level administrative support and HR management to the company. She is also responsible for government and public relationship to create a favorable image and reputation for the company. Prior to joining Chenco, Ms. Wang was a PM assistant at the Global R&D Centre of Tiens Group.

Ms. Wang holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from Tianjin Foreign Language Studies University.

Jessy Wang (Tianjin)

Investment Analyst