Manoj was born and raised in Hong Kong and is the 7th generation of one of the oldest trading families – D.Chellaram (Established 1860). F & B has always been in his blood where the family business, through Chellaram Foods Limited, had brought the infamous Wimpy’s fast food restaurant to Hong Kong in the late 1960s.

 

Manoj attained his BA (Hons) in Industrial Economics with Insurance from the University of Nottingham, U.K. before working in finance with multiple fortune 500 companies including Bloomberg, ABN AMRO & ANZ. Having a strong desire to combine his financial knowledge, together with his passion for interacting with people from different cultures, led Manoj to pursue a career in Private Banking where he managed portfolios providing holistic investment solutions for High Net-Worth Individuals. Throughout his career Manoj always maintained a connection with the F & B space being an investor in several successful clubs, restaurants and bars. 

Building on his financial background and living a life with a passion for food & drink led Manoj to exit the finance industry and co-found the 8 creATEive Collective which operates multiple award-winning restaurants; Amalfitana Artisan Pizza Bar, Fratelli Artisan Pasta Bar, Rummin’ Tings & cloud kitchen brand Uncle Momo. Together with the 8 creATEive team, he looks forward to enhancing Hong Kong’s dining experiences. 

Apart from this Manoj also operates MC Security, a Type 1 licensed professional security company which is renowned for its close / executive protection service, event security planning and execution and manned guarding. 

During his personal time, Manoj enjoys traveling and exploring new cuisines. He is a keen basketball player, gym junkie and values spending time with his family and friends.