Peggy Cherng
About Peggy Cherng
Peggy Cherng is cofounder and co-CEO of Panda Express, the $5.9 billion (est. sales) Chinese fast-food chain with some 2,400 locations.
Born in Myanmar, Cherng got a Ph.D. in electrical engineering in the U.S., then went to work for 3M and McDonnell Douglas, where helped design battlefield simulators for the U.S. Navy.
She left her engineering career to help her husband, Andrew Cherng, open Panda Express' first location in a Glendale, California, shopping mall in 1983.
She implemented the company's sales and analytics software, earlier than many other restaurants, helping make Panda Express the dominant player among Asian limited-service chains in America.
In 2018, the Cherngs invested in a group that bought the Mandarin Oriental hotel, now the Waldorf Astoria, in Las Vegas for $214 million.
Personal stats
Citizenship
United States of AmericaSource of wealth
Fast foodResidence
Las Vegas, NevadaMarital status
MarriedBirth date
12/18/47 (age 76)Number of children
3Education
Bachelor of Arts/Science, Oregon State University; Master of Science, University of Missouri; Ph.D, University of MissouriSelf-made
self-madePeggy Cherng’s fortune is worth
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median U.S. household
median U.S. income
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Did you know?
For her 1974 doctoral thesis, Cherng developed a computer program that used an algorithm to scan digitized chest X-rays for signs of congenital heart disease.
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Financial assets
NASDAQ | EWBC-US
East West BancorpHONG KONG | 3308-HK
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