Ir Yau graduated from the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Hong Kong. He joined the Government of the HKSAR in 1998 and has served in Highways Department and Transport Department participating in a wide range of engineering infrastructure and development projects. He was the Assistant Commissioner for Transport from 2019 to 2021 and served as the Deputy Commissioner from 2021 to 2022 before his appointment as Director of Water Supplies in early 2023. He is now responsible for managing fresh water and sea water supply system to Hong Kong, providing water supplies to some 7.3 million people, implementing the Total Water Management Strategy to contain water demands and build resilience in the water supply with diversified water resources to sustain Hong Kong’s water supplies against increasing risks of water scarcity.