Nelson Chang

Nelson Chang was appointed chairman of Taiwan Cement, an empire owned by his in-laws, after working 40 years at Hsin Cement Chia, a company founded by his own father. His true interest, however, was in the hotel industry: The L’Hotel de Chine Group, a company he founded with his wife, Ruth Koo, in 2009, owns a collection of de Chine hotels, Chinatrust Hotels, FDC International Hotels, and a Hotel Pin. Its properties in Italy include A Roma Lifestyle Hotel, Palazzo Venart, Relais Sant’Uffizio, Relais Villa Monte Solare, Casa Munfre, and the newly opened Palazzo Portinari Salviati, a 15th century palace in Florence. Le Palais, the Chinese restaurant found at the Palais de Chine hotel in Taipei, remains the sole three-Michelin starred restaurant in Taiwan.

As CEO and founder of LDC Hotels & Resorts, Chang opened the company’s sixth stronghold in Italy, Palazzo Portinary Salviati, in mid-2022. The building, which took nearly six years to restore, captures the grandness of the Renaissance and is LDC’s first foray into mix-used developments of luxury mansions and commercial spaces. For this, Chang was named a Grand Officer of the Order of the Star of Italy for his efforts in restoring Italian cultural monuments in October 2021.