Chester Yang ’92 Speaks at UCR School of Business Commencement 2017

The University of California, Riverside School of Business welcomed international business powerhouse and alumnus, Chester T. Yang, as their 2017 School of Business Commencement Speaker.

Chester T. Yang, ’92 alumnus, is the CEO of Bunge China and oversees Bunge Asia Operations for Bunge Limited, a $60 billion company. Headquartered in New York, Bunge Limited is a global agribusiness and foods company with more than 47,000 employees in over 50 countries.

Mr. Yang is not only a leader in the agricultural business in China, but also an agent of change through his philanthropic work. He transformed a primary school in an impoverished community in a rural part of China that carries his father’s namesake, Shangrao Wang Yang Lin Hope Primary School, in Jiangxi. He not only provided water, power, desks and chairs, he raised teaching salaries, changed the curriculum, and used his business connections with Lenovo to bring in the latest learning technology.

“We turned a little school that was in the middle of nowhere into the top tech elementary and middle school in the Jiangxi province,” Yang says. “Even though these kids came from uneducated families, every year our students would rank in the top 3 in the Chinese national exams within the municipality.”

Chester has a PhD in Law from the China University of Political Science and Law, an MBA from Rutgers University, State University of New Jersey and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of California at Riverside. Chester has also been through Executive Leadership Programs with the Management and Business Schools of Harvard University and Washington University. Prior to joining Bunge, Chester worked for Cargill Inc. for 14 years across various locations in management and merchandising positions in the USA and China. Before joining Cargill, Chester
worked for Kleinwort Benson PLC in New York, London and Hong Kong, in both corporate finance and equities.

“Chester T. Yang’s exemplifies the School of Business’ mission to create world-class leaders that also manage and sustain opportunities for growth in their community,” Dean Yunzeng Wang explains. “We are honored to have our alumnus return to the university to inspire the next generation as they embark on their journey after graduation.”