CHICAGO — Playboy Enterprises, Inc. today announced the election of Kai-Shing Tao to its board of directors. Tao is an experienced global investor with a concentration in the Greater China region and the United States. His interests are in the fields of real estate, consumer products, financial services, manufacturing and technology.

“Shing’s knowledge and experience with investments in Asia, and emerging markets in general, will be great assets for Playboy,” said David I. Chemerow, chairman of PEI. “We welcome his perspective on joint ventures and his strategic commercial mindset.”

Splitting his time between Beijing and New York City, Tao, 33, is chairman and chief investment officer of Pacific Star Partners, a private investment group. Prior to founding Pacific Star Partners, Tao was a partner at FALA Capital Group, a single-family investment office, where he was responsible for the global liquid investments outside the operating companies. He has served as a member of HSW International, Inc.’s board of directors since 2007 and is also a member of the Real Estate Roundtable and U.S.-China and U.S.-Taiwan Business Councils. Tao graduated from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business.

Tao said: “Playboy is an iconic company and I look forward to being a part of its continued global growth. The company is in the midst of an exciting transformation, and I am eager to begin working with Playboy’s CEO Scott Flanders and my fellow board members to help achieve its goals.”

He joins five non-executive directors: Dennis S. Bookshester, a business consultant and former CEO of Turtlewax, Inc.; board chairman David I. Chemerow, COO and CFO of Rentrak Corporation; Charles Hirschhorn, president, TV Live LLC; Russell I. Pillar, Managing Director, The 5850 Group; and Sol Rosenthal, of counsel, Arnold & Porter, LLC. Playboy has two executive directors: CEO Scott N. Flanders and Executive Vice President Richard S. Rosenzweig.