Haitao Zhai

Haitao Zhai is a founding partner of Primavera Capital Group, the Asia-Pacific investment firm founded in 2010 by former Goldman Sachs executives including Fred Hu, Kenneth Wong, William Wong, and Zhai. Primavera describes itself as connecting global investors with Asia-Pacific leading companies and managing RMB and USD funds for institutional investors, corporations, and families.

At Primavera, Zhai leads investments in financial services and co-leads healthcare-sector investments. The firm says he led or played an important role in deals including China AMC, Postal Savings Bank of China, OASIS Hospital, and Hisense Broadband. Public profiles and filings also identify him as President and Partner of Primavera Capital Group.

Before Primavera, Zhai was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, Chief Representative of Goldman Sachs Beijing, and Director of the Goldman Sachs-ICBC Strategic Cooperation Office. Earlier, he worked at the People’s Bank of China, including the PBOC Representative Office in New York and the Department of International Affairs at PBOC headquarters.

Zhai holds a BA in Economics from Peking University, a Master in International Affairs from Columbia University, and an MBA from New York University. He has also served as an independent director of China Life Insurance Company Limited and held independent non-executive director roles at China Everbright Environment Group and China Everbright Water.

• Primavera says it invests “across the full life cycle of a business,” from early-stage venture funding to growth capital, private credit, restructuring financing, carve-outs/spin-offs, and full buyouts.
• The firm’s portfolio strategy is APAC-centered: it looks for opportunities arising from rapid urbanization, expanding middle-class consumption, technological innovation, and the transition to a carbon-free economy.
• Primavera’s stated investment themes are consumption upgrade, service orientation, technological innovation, and decarbonization.
• Zhai’s personal sector coverage is more concentrated: Primavera says he leads financial-services investments and co-leads healthcare investments.
• Primavera emphasizes long-term partnerships with portfolio companies, using capital plus resources, expertise, and technologies to help companies grow, transform, improve performance, and unlock value.
• The firm says its approach combines top-down research into economic and technology trends with bottom-up analysis of business fundamentals and risk.