Meet The 33-Year-Old Business Executive Making History As The First Black CEO Of P.F. Chang

Meet Damola Adamolekun, the CEO of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, a popular Asian casual dining restaurant chain with locations throughout the United States. He has led the company since 2020, ensuring its continued growth and success.

Damola, who is now 33 years old, was instrumental in the evolution of P.F. Chang’s, one of the world’s largest and most recognizable restaurant chains. Despite the brand’s continued strength, he believed it was necessary to embrace change to adapt to an uncertain future.

As CEO of P.F. Chang’s, Damola oversaw the renovation of dining rooms and the revision of menu items. He also pioneered the inclusion of delivery and to-go orders, which were previously deemed inappropriate for the brand. The chain now operates several small fast-casual restaurants throughout the country.

True, the business survived the pandemic. Additionally, he oversaw a 31.7 percent increase in sales for the company in 2021, according to Top 500 chain data from Restaurant Business sister company, Technomic.

Additionally, Damola is a partner at Paulson & Co., which acquired a majority stake in P.F. Chang’s for $700 million in 2019.

He was also a member of the International Tower Hill Mines LLC’s board of directors. Adamolekun graduated from Brown University with a bachelor’s degree in economics and from Harvard Business School with a master’s degree in business administration.