Dr. Tingting Zhang is the Founder and CEO of the TerraCotta Group, where she is responsible for overseeing the company’s investment activities and managing portfolio risk. She manages the Credit Committee at TerraCotta and leads the research and methodology agenda at the TerraCotta Lab, the company’s research division.

Dr. Zhang founded TerraCotta in 2004 with the objective of applying academic insights, objectivity, and analytical rigor to commercial real estate lending in order to address real-world challenges. TerraCotta has pioneered the use of predictive analytics in commercial real estate credit investments.

In 2021, she was recognized as one of sixty global honorees in Private Equity International’s (PEI) special report on Women of Influence in Private Markets, which covered various sectors such as private equity, private debt, real estate, venture capital, infrastructure, and cross strategies. In 2022, 2023 and again in 2024, Dr. Zhang was listed in the LA 500, a compilation of the most influential individuals according to the Los Angeles Business Journal. In addition, GlobeSt. selected Dr. Zhang as a 2024 Woman of Influence in CRE, recognizing her as a woman that has driven the CRE industry to new heights.

During the Great Financial Crisis in 2008, Dr. Zhang co-founded the Special Assets Management Association (SAMA), the only trade association in the U.S. with over 100 membership banks dedicated to banking executives in special assets and credit risk management, which has positioned TerraCotta as a trusted partner with deep relationships in the banking community. Dr. Zhang currently sits on SAMA’s Board of Directors as its Chair.

Dr. Zhang earned her Master’s degree in Quantitative Methods and a PhD in Political Economy from the University of California, Los Angeles.