Other
Sonia Cheng
Hotelier
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Family enterprises in real estate and jewelry set an early operating context for Sonia Cheng, while Harvard University supplied the formal education that preceded her work in finance and hospitality. The craft here is luxury operations viewed through capital allocation, asset discipline, and brand stewardship rather than service language alone.
Coming Up
Luxury hospitality leadership often starts outside hotels, in the disciplines that shape how properties are financed, positioned, and scaled. Sonia Cheng’s early work at Morgan Stanley in the U.S. And Hong Kong placed her inside cross-border finance before she moved to Warburg Pincus, also in the U.S. And Hong Kong, where investment work added another layer to her operating judgment. Jewelry brought a parallel discipline: product, heritage, retail trust, and long-cycle brand value. Sonia Cheng joined Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group as a Non-Executive Director in 2019, then served as Executive Director from 2021 to 2022, keeping her work connected to a sector where luxury is measured through materials, provenance, and customer confidence. Board and directorial work extended that operating range. Sonia Cheng served as an Independent Non-Executive Director of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and held a directorial position at Primavera Capital Acquisition Corporation. Since 2011, she has served as CEO of Rosewood Hotel Group; since 2008, she has served as Executive Director of New World Development; and since 2022, she has served as vice-chairman and Executive Director of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group.
Present Day
Luxury hotelcraft at group scale depends on consistency without flattening the property. Since 2011, Sonia Cheng’s work as CEO of Rosewood Hotel Group has been tied to a modern luxury position that treats each property as specific to place rather than as a repeatable shell. The current operating portfolio remains cross-sector. Sonia Cheng serves as Vice-Chairman and Executive Director at Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group and Executive Director at New World Development. Her role at Rosewood includes involvement in design and in developing the next generation of hoteliers, linking brand direction with the people who carry standards on property.
Credentials
Hospitality recognition has marked the scale of the work. Sonia Cheng was named among the International Hospitality Institute Global 100: 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality in 2022, named to Fortune's 40 under 40 in 2018, and included among Asia's 50 Power Businesswomen in both 2016 and 2015. Sonia Cheng has received SevenRooms Icon Award (2024).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Sonia
What is Sonia Cheng's present role?
Sonia Cheng is ceo at Rosewood Hotel Group.
Where did Sonia Cheng train or study?
Sonia Cheng trained at Harvard University.
What recognition has Sonia Cheng received?
International Hospitality Institute Global 100: 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality (2022).
