Hugh Yao

Hugh Yao is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of LingoAce, a global education technology company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Singapore. Hugh holds a Master’s degree in Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from Tsinghua University. Prior to founding LingoAce, Hugh spent more than 15 years in senior management roles across the Asia-Pacific region at leading multinational technology companies, including IBM, Oracle, and Salesforce, where he developed deep expertise in technology-driven growth and global operations. Inspired by a personal desire to support his son’s Chinese language learning, Hugh founded LingoAce with a vision to make learning more engaging, effective, and accessible for children through technology. Under Hugh’s leadership, LingoAce has grown from an online-first language learning platform into a global, multi-subject education company. Today, the company offers Mandarin Chinese, English, and Math programs for K-12 learners globally. Beyond online classes, LingoAce also opened multiple in-person learning centers in the United States, Australia, and Singapore. Today, LingoAce serves over 580,000 learners across more than 180 countries and regions and has delivered more than 22 million live classes to date. Since 2024, the company’s core business has achieved sustained profitability and positive operating cash flow.