John P. Chen

John Chen is Vice Chairman and Senior Advisor at Hilco Global. He previously served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Hilco Global as well as a Board Director prior to the Orix acquisition. He began his tenure as the Chief Financial Officer. John was an integral contributor in the acquisition of the Sparrows Point steel mill and the subsequent development of Tradepoint Atlantic that served as the foundation for the Hilco Redevelopment Partners business. John has served as the corporate leader of many of the company’s key initiatives including the formation of Hilco’s strategic and financial partnership with Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ).

Prior to joining Hilco Global, John worked for Tang Industries, a large, privately held company primarily focused on metals-related manufacturing and distribution. During his 20 years with Tang, he served in a variety of positions including: Chief Financial Officer with financial and strategic oversight of over 30 business units; and President of SKD Automotive Group, a Tier One automotive supplier.

John began his career at PepsiCo, Inc., where he worked for 8 years on its corporate staff, Pepsi-Cola International and Frito-Lay with roles of increasing responsibility. While at Pepsi-Cola International, John authored Pepsi’s strategy to enter China and relocated to Hong Kong to help launch Pepsi’s first plants in China. Following his stint in Hong Kong, John became the head of planning at Frito-Lay where he helped to develop strategic and informational insights that led to the fundamental strategic restructuring of the organization reigniting real growth in the company.

John currently serves on the board of managers of Swarthmore College and the executive board of the Chemistry of Life Processes Institute at Northwestern University.