Derek Chin attended Trinity College from 1965 to 1970 and represented the College at Tennis. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario and worked as a Senior Auditor for KPMG in Canada for several years.
Derek returned to Trinidad in 1981 where he pioneered the Arcade Gaming industry and used his knowledge and experience of gaming to modernize the popular online lottery system.
Derek has a passion for horse racing and was a past President of the Arima Race Club (ARC) as well as the Trinidad and Tobago Racing Authority (TTRA). His horses have won every major stakes race in Trinidad and Tobago and his stable currently races out of Gulf Stream Park in Florida and Woodbine Race Course in Toronto where he continues to enjoy great success.
Derek Chin is an entrepreneur who has successfully combined a visionary outlook with proper analysis and risk taking to create a business empire. His vision to create a premier family entertainment experience led to the establishment of MovieTowne at Invaders Bay but not without having to surmount numerous challenges which he did through persistence and determination.
In the last 15 years his business empire, the Dachin Group of Companies, has grown steadily and now includes a chain of restaurants ( Ruby Tuesdays, Texas of Brazil and Rizzoni’s), a security services company, an electronic signage company as well as retail and entertainment centres with conference facilities and state of the art cinema complexes. The growth of his empire continues with two new cineplex projects set to open in 2016 in San Fernando and Guyana and invitations from regional governments to establish businesses in their countries.
As successful as his ventures have been, they may well pale in comparison to his latest dream. This project which is in the making will be called Streets of the World and will be a theme park that pays tribute to Trinidad and Tobago’s cultural fusion and its iconic heroes. It is set to be built at Invaders Bay and promises to make Trinidad and Tobago the prized cultural hub of the Caribbean and a major tourist destination.
Derek Chin was named as one of the four leading Entrepreneurs of Trinidad and Tobago for 2015 by the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Commerce. His enterprises employ approximately 1600 persons and make a significant contribution to the economic and social development of the Country.
The Trinity College Alumni Association acknowledges the achievements of Derek Chin as an Entrepreneur extraordinaire and readily admits him into its Hall of Fame.