Early Life
Zhao Tao was born in China on January 28, 1977. In the 1990s, before becoming a billionaire, Zhao gained recognition in Singapore for her acupuncture skills. She was involved in the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). At the time, she was a visiting TCM doctor from China, and her father, Zhao Buchang, was a prestigious doctor. She attended an international conference on TCM and Acupuncture in Singapore in 1992.
Rise to Success
Zhao's father, Zhao Buchang, started Shandong Buchang Pharmaceuticals. Zhao holds a Singapore passport. He received an MBA from Fordham University. Buchang started trading on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in November 2016. Zhao Tao is the chairman of Shandong Buchang Pharmaceuticals, a supplier of traditional Chinese medicine to fight cardiovascular disease.
Key Business Strategies
Under Zhao Tao's leadership, Shandong Buchang Pharmaceuticals has focused on the production and distribution of traditional Chinese medicine. In 2018, Buchang Pharmaceuticals earned RMB80 billion (S$16.1 billion). The company was also the first pharmaceutical company to invest in advertisements. The company's emphasis on advertising and marketing was exceptionally heavy. In fact, its marketing spending superseded the spending on research and development.
Philanthropy
Specific philanthropic endeavors of Zhao Tao are not readily available in the search results. However, she is a vice president of the China Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs Association and the chief supervisor of the Shandong Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs Association.
