The chairman and CEO of Hong Kong-based F&B group Tam Jai International, Daren Lau has been with the company since 2018, leading it through its IPO in 2021. The city’s largest noodle operator, Tam Jai owns the TamJai Yunnan Mixian and TamJai SamGor Mixian rice noodle chains, the former opening its first restaurant in 1996 and the latter following in 2008; the chains had about 175 branches between them as of 2022, mainly in Hong Kong, but with outlets also opening in mainland China, Singapore and Japan since 2020.

The company has also become known for its distinctive marketing campaigns emphasising its roots in the city. The company is using its IPO to fund its expansion to more than 300 outlets, including plans to enter Australia. After originally getting his F&B training at The Peninsula hotel in Hong Kong, he worked for 17 for Asia Pacific at Select Service Partner Asia Pacific, a subsidiary of London-based SSP Group, including over nine years as its managing director; and was then managing director of casual dining chain Cafe de Coral from 2015 to 2018. He studied for an MBA at The Chinese University of Hong Kong between 2009 and 2011.