Lu Zhengyao | |
---|---|
Born | 1969 or 1970 (age 54–55)[1] |
Nationality | Chinese |
Alma mater | Peking University (EMBA) University of Science and Technology Beijing (BSc.) |
Occupation(s) | Businessman, investor |
Title | Chairman of Luckin Coffee |
Lu Zhengyao (陸正耀) aka Charles Lu (born 1969/1970) is a Chinese businessman and investor. He is the non-executive chairman of Luckin Coffee, a coffee shop chain in China.[2] Lu earned a degree in industrial electric automation from the University of Science and Technology Beijing in 1991, and an EMBA degree from Peking University in 2010.[1]
Lu was an early investor in Luckin Coffee.[2][3] In mid-April 2020, American investment bank Goldman Sachs announced that it would seize and sell Zhengyao's Luckin stock holdings after he defaulted on a corporate margin loan.[4][5] In December 2020, he paid a 180-million dollars fine to the US Securities and Exchange Commission for defrauding investors.[6]
Lu also owns about 33 percent of Car Inc., a Hong Kong-listed car rental company.[3] In May 2021, he announced he was working on the launch of a 500-store noodle stores chain, Xiaomian Riji ('noodle diary').[6]