Stephen K.M. Lau was appointed in July 1996 as the first Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data for Hong Kong with responsibility to promote and enforce compliance with The Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance which was enacted to provide adequate protection for the use of individual's personal data in both the public and private sectors.

With degrees in physics and computer science, Mr Lau has split his 30 years' experience in the information technology and banking industries between the government and private sectors. He has formerly held positions with EDS Hong Kong and Citicorp Asia Pacific. Prior to that he was the Data Processing Manager for the Hong Kong Government Data Processing Agency.

In 1984, Mr Lau was awarded the MBE for outstanding service to the Hong Kong government and the community in the area of information technology. In 1986, he was made a Fellow of the Hong Kong Computer Society. In 1997, Mr Lau was appointed to serve as a member of the Hospital Authority and in 1999 as the Chairman of the Hospital Governing Committee of the North District Hospital.