P eggy Cherng is a Chinese-American billionaire businesswoman who, along with her husband Andrew Cherng, co-founded and runs Panda Express, the largest family-owned Chinese fast-food chain in the United States. Born in Burma (now Myanmar) and raised in Hong Kong, Peggy Cherng moved to the United States for college. She earned a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics and a master's degree in computer science. She also holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering. Her early career was in technology, working as a software developer and engineer for companies like 3M and McDonnell Douglas.

In the early 1980s, she left her engineering career to join her husband in the restaurant business. Andrew, a trained chef, had opened the first Panda Inn sit-down restaurant in 1973. Together, they opened the first fast-food Panda Express in a mall food court in 1983. While Andrew focused on the food and customer experience, Peggy applied her technical and systems engineering background to the business operations. She was instrumental in developing the company's sophisticated data analytics, supply chain management, and inventory control systems, which were crucial for scaling the business efficiently. As co-CEO, her operational expertise has been a key ingredient in Panda Express's growth into a multi-billion dollar enterprise with thousands of locations worldwide.