Eric Bradlow: K.P. Chao Professor at Wharton

Dr. Eric Bradlow, professor of marketing, has been named the K.P. Chao Professor. Dr. Bradlow is the first professor to fill the endowed chair, funded by K.P. Chao, chairman of the board of Novel Enterprises Limited, based in Hong Kong.

Wharton Dean Patrick Harker stated, “We are privileged to have the support of K.P. Chao, one of the world’s foremost industrialists, and are honored to bestow this prestigious chair upon Professor Bradlow, whom we believe will further the School’s lasting commitment to academic excellence.”

Dr. Bradlow is a professor of marketing and statistics at the Wharton School and serves as the academic director of the Wharton Small Business Development Center (SBDC). He is a Wharton graduate, having received his B.S. in economics in 1988. He earned his Ph.D. at Harvard in 1994. His research interests include Bayesian computation problems, probability models for marketing data and missing data problems. Dr. Bradlow was the 2004 recipient of both the graduate and undergraduate Excellence in Teaching Awards. Professionally, he serves on the governing boards of several journal publications, including Marketing Science and the Journal of Marketing Research.

The chair was established through a gift from K.P. Chao, who in June of 2004 was awarded the Wharton Dean’s Medal, a distinguished honor reserved only for those who embody the ideals central to the Wharton School’s mission.

“Business education is a critical piece of human education because more wealth creation ultimately leads toward a better world,” stated Mr. Chao, who maintains strong connections to Penn from which his daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren graduated.

Last month, the School held a dinner in recognition of both Mr. Chao’s valuable commitment to Wharton and Dr. Bradlow’s appointment as K.P. Chao Professor. “Friends and family gathered to honor the indelible role that Mr. Chao and Dr. Bradlow are playing in furthering the educational initiatives of the Wharton School,” added the dean.

In addition to his position as chairman of the board at Novel Enterprises, Mr. Chao serves as honorary chairman and founder of Dragon Air. He also serves as honorary consul of Mauritius to Hong Kong, advisor to Tsinghua University, advisor to Ningbo University, and holds an honorary Doctorate and professorship from Zhejiang University.