Biographies

Chairman
Securities and Futures Commission

Mr. Tim Lui is the Chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission. He is also a member of the Public Service Commission.

Mr Lui is a Fellow Member of The Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA) and a Member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He was elected President of HKICPA in 1997.

Mr Lui joined PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 1978. During his career at PwC, he served as the Senior Tax Partner, Lead Director of the Board of Partners and a member of the Global Board. He retired as a Senior Advisor of PwC in 2018.

Mr Lui has been active in public and community service. In the past, he was Chairman of the Education Commission, the Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education, the Joint Committee on Student Finance, the Standing Commission on Directorate Salaries and Conditions of Service as well as the Employees' Compensation Insurance Levies Management Board.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Strategy and Planning)
University of Cambridge, UK

David Cardwell is Professor of Superconducting Engineering and Pro-Vice-Chancellor responsible for Strategy and Planning at the University of Cambridge. He was Head of the Engineering Department between 2014 and 2018. Prof. Cardwell, who established the Bulk Superconductor Research Group at Cambridge in 1992, has a world-wide reputation on the processing and applications of bulk high temperature superconductors. He was a founder member of the European Society for Applied Superconductivity (ESAS) in 1998 and has served as a Board member and Treasurer of the Society for the past 14 years. He is an active board member of three international journals, including Superconductor Science and Technology, and has authored over 400 technical papers and patents in the field of bulk superconductivity since 1987. He has given invited presentations at over 70 international conferences and collaborates widely around the world with academic institutes and industry. Prof. Cardwell was elected to a Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2012 in recognition of his contribution to the development of superconducting materials for engineering applications. He was awarded a Sc.D. by the University of Cambridge in 2014 and an honorary D.Sc. by the University of Warwick in 2015.

Ms Diana CESAR, JP

General Manager
HSBC
Executive Director and Chief Executive
Hang Seng Bank

Diana Cesar is a General Manager of the HSBC Group. She is also Executive Director and Chief Executive of Hang Seng Bank Limited, Chairman and Non-executive Director of Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited, Chairman of Hang Seng Insurance Company Limited and Chairman of the Hang Seng Index Advisory Committee of Hang Seng Indexes Company Limited.

Prior to joining Hang Seng Bank, Ms Cesar was Chief Executive of HSBC Hong Kong. She was responsible for steering the business to achieve its strategic objectives by managing client relationships and business partnerships, coordinating with the government and regulatory bodies, and improving employee well-being. She was a member of the Executive Committee for The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited.

During a wide-ranging career with HSBC, Ms Cesar held leadership roles in marketing, credit cards, consumer loans and mortgages. She was Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management in Hong Kong and Regional Head of Distribution Strategy and Consumer Propositions for Asia Pacific. Earlier in her career at HSBC, she was seconded to Taiwan as Head of Credit Cards and successfully turned the business around.

Prior to joining HSBC, Ms Cesar was General Manager for Customer Relations for SmarTone Telecom. She has also worked in Canada and Hong Kong for other global financial institutions, including Citibank and American Express.

Ms Cesar also holds various industry and civic appointments, including:

• Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) - Director and Convenor of FSDC's Human Capital Committee
• Great Eagle Holdings Limited - Independent Non-executive Director
• Hang Seng School of Commerce - Chairman of the Board of Directors
• Hong Kong Monetary Authority - Member of the Financial Infrastructure and Market Development Subcommittee
• Justice of the Peace appointed by the Government of the Hong Kong SAR
• The Community Chest of Hong Kong - Director, Campaign Committee Co-Chairman and Member of Executive Committee
• The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong - Chairman of the Board of Governors
• The Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation - Member of the Board of Trustees
• The Hong Kong Institute of Bankers - Vice President and Honorary Certified Banker
• Treasury Markets Association - Council Member
• University Grants Committee - Member

Ms Cesar is also a former Chairperson of the Hong Kong Association of Banks.

Professor Alan CHAN Kam-leung

Provost and J.S. Lee Professor of Chinese Culture
The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Professor Alan Chan is Provost and J.S. Lee Professor of Chinese Culture at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, Canada, in Chinese and comparative philosophy and religion. From 2009 to 2019, he served as Toh Puan Mahani Idris Daim Professor of Humanities, Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, and Vice-President at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU). Prior to joining NTU, he was Professor of Philosophy and Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education at National University of Singapore (NUS). While at NUS, he was twice awarded the Teaching Excellence Award. He was a member of the Founding Editorial Board, Oxford Bibliographies of Chinese Studies; Chairman of the Board of Directors, Confucius Institute, NTU; Co-Chair, Governing Council, NTU Centre for Contemporary Art, Singapore; member of the Board of Directors, Consortium of Humanities Centres and Institutes, and Singapore Examination and Assessment Board; and is currently a member of the Board of Directors, International Confucian Association, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Director of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), and member of the Governing Board of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. His online module, "Explorations in Confucian Philosophy," a MOOC on Coursera has attracted over 10,000 learners. Born and raised in Hong Kong, he joined CUHK in January 2020.

Dr Benjamin CHAN Wai-kai, MH

Chief Principal
Hong Kong Baptist University Affiliated School Wong Kam Fai Secondary and Primary School

Dr. Chan is currently the Advisor of Council of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Board Chairman of the Hong Kong Schools Dance Association, Chairman of the Sha Tin Arts & Culture Promotion Committee, Founding Member of the Hong Kong Direct Subsidy Scheme Schools Council, Fellow Member of the Hong Kong Institute of Directors.

Professor Tim CHENG Kwang-ting

Vice-President for Research and Development
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Professor Tim Cheng is Vice-President for Research and Development (VPRD) and Chair Professor jointly in the Electronic & Computer Engineering (ECE) and Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) Departments at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). He is also the Director of InnoHK AI Chip Center for Emerging Smart Systems which aims to advance IC design to help realize ubiquitous AI applications in society.

At HKUST, Prof. Cheng served as Dean of Engineering for 6 years prior to taking the current role of VPRD. Prior to joining HKUST in 2016, he was on the faculty of the University of California, Santa Barbara where he also served in various administrative roles including ECE Department Chair and Associate Vice-Chancellor for Research.

An internationally leading researcher with extensive experience in fostering cross-disciplinary research collaboration, Prof. Cheng is a world authority in the field of electronics design verification and testing, as well as covering a wide range of research areas including design automation of electronic and photonic systems, computer vision, and medical image analysis.

Professor Arnoud DE MEYER

Former President
Singapore Management University

Arnoud De Meyer is a global academic leader with more than 35 years of experience in top international academic institutions in Europe and Asia. Until December 2018, he served as President of Singapore Management University (SMU). Before joining SMU, Arnoud De Meyer was from 2006 until 2010 Director (Dean) of the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom). From 1983 until 2006, he was a faculty member at INSEAD and assumed between 1990 and 2006 several management positions, among others as founding dean of INSEAD's Asia campus in Singapore.

Arnoud De Meyer has been an Independent Director of several companies in Belgium, France, Singapore and Australia. Currently he is Independent Director of Viva Energy Pty Ltd (Australia). He is also the Chair of the Temasek sponsored "Stewardship Asia Centre" (Singapore).

He is an internationally recognised researcher in the areas of R&D and Innovation Management, Manufacturing Strategy and International Management. He published more than 100 academic articles and 12 books. His most recent book "Ecosystem Edge: Sustaining Competitiveness in the Face of Disruption" was published in 2020 with Stanford Business Press.

President
Sun Yat-sen University, China

GAO Song holds a doctoral degree in science, and is now professor, and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

From 1981 to 1991, Professor Gao studied in the Department of Chemistry, Peking University for his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctoral degree. Since 1999, he has been professor in the College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Peking University. Professor GAO Song has been to RWTH Aachen in Germany, the University of Hong Kong and the National University of Singapore as a visiting scholar for academic exchange and collaborative research.

Professor Gao was elected an academician of the Division of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK in 2007. In 2013, he was elected an academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Developing World. His main research interests are coordination chemistry and molecular magnetism. In 2013, he received the Science and Technology Progress Award from Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation. He has won three second-class National Natural Science Awards, respectively in 2006 (as the first person-in-charge), 2011 (as the fourth person-in-charge), and 2019 (as the second person-in-charge).

From 2013 to 2018, Professor Gao served successively as Vice President and Executive Vice President of Peking University. Since May 2016, Professor Gao has held a concurrent post as the Vice Chairman of the 9th and 10th National Committees of the China Association for Science and Technology. From October 2018 to August 2022, he had been appointed as President of South China University of Technology. And Professor Gao has been President of Sun Yat-sen University since November 2021.

Professor emeritus ETH
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland

From 1999 to 2022, Lino Guzzella was a full professor of thermotronics in the mechanical engineering department of ETH. In his teaching he focused on the mathematical foundations of systems theory. He was also particularly interested in project-oriented learning.

In research, he and his group investigated new approaches for economical and environmentally friendly energy conversion systems. He published well over 100 peer-review scientific publications. Among other, he received from SAE the Teetor and the Arch T. Colwell award (2000), from IEEE the Control Systems Magazine best paper award (2001) and the industry award for excellence in translational control research (2008), from IMechE the Clifford S. Steadman prize (2001) and the Thomas Hawksley medal (2002), and the Energy Globe Award (2005).

He also served in several administrative positions at ETH. From 2001 to 2003, he was the head of the mechanical engineering department and from 2012-2018, he was first rector and then president of ETH. After retiring from ETH, Lino Guzzella now is the president of Nagra, serves on several boards of international companies as non-executive director and is a trustee of several foundation boards.

Prof. Guzzella is a fellow of IEEE and IFAC and a member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering. He has a M.Sc. and a Sc.D. degree from ETH and an honorary D.Sc. degree from USI - Università della Svizzera Italiana.

Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning)
The University of Hong Kong, HK

Professor Holliday has been Vice-President (Teaching and Learning) at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) since 2015. He assists the HKU President in setting the direction and policy of HKU teaching and learning, and oversees quality assurance for undergraduate and taught postgraduate curricula. Previously he was Dean of Social Sciences at HKU, and Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences at City University of Hong Kong. His research focuses on Myanmar politics and governance.

Provost Emeritus
Carnegie Mellon University, USA

Mark Kamlet is University Professor of Economics and Provost Emeritus at Carnegie Mellon University. He served as Carnegie Mellon's provost (chief academic officer) and executive vice president from 2000 to 2014. Prior to that he was Dean of the Heinz College for seven years.

During his time as provost, CMU's technology commercialization operations were significantly revamped; two academic departments were created (Machine Learning and Biomedical Engineering); the university advanced in technology-enhanced learning; and the university established campuses and academic presences in Doha, Qatar; Kigali, Rwanda; Adelaide, Australia; Lisbon, Portugal; Silicon Valley; Los Angeles; and Washington DC.

Kamlet is on the board of Highmark Inc., a national, diversified health insurance and health care delivery company, and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation. He was chairperson of the board for 12 years of Carnegie Learning, Inc. and for 5 years of iCarnegie, Inc., both Carnegie Mellon spinouts. He has served on the board of other start-up companies and is currently on the board of Everspring Partners. Kamlet is co-director of the Living Analytics Research Center, a joint research center located in Singapore, a joint center of Carnegie Mellon University and Singapore Management University. It focuses on the application of new technologies and software platforms relevant to Singapore's Smart Nation efforts. He sits on the university-level President's Tenure and Academic Committee of Singapore Management University.

He earned a B.S. in mathematics from Stanford, and an M.S. in Mathematical Statistics and Ph.D. in Economics from University of California at Berkeley.

Executive Vice President for Strategic Initiatives
The University of Chicago, USA

Ka Yee C. Lee serves as the fourteenth Provost of the University of Chicago.

As Provost, she is responsible for academic and research programs across the University and oversees the University's budget.

She is the David Lee Shillinglaw Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Chemistry, the James Franck Institute, the Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, and the College, and a member of the Board of the University of Chicago Medical Center, the Board of Governors for Argonne National Laboratory, and the Field Museum Board. Prior to her appointment as Provost, Lee served as Vice Provost for Research, working with deans, faculty, and researchers across the University to increase access to research funding and resources, among other responsibilities.

Lee is an elected member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Her research focus lies in the area of membrane biophysics, and she is the author or co-author of more than 125 scholarly publications.

Lee joined the University in 1998 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and was appointed full professor in 2008. She has served as Director of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center and Associate Director of the James Franck Institute, as well as Chair of the Faculty Advisory Board for The Hong Kong Jockey Club University of Chicago Academic Complex | Francis and Rose Yuen Campus in Hong Kong. Her honors include being named a Searle Scholar, a David and Lucile Packard Fellow for Science and Engineering, and a Sloan Research Fellow. She also was the recipient of the Llewellyn John and Harriet Manchester Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and the inaugural recipient of the Arthur L. Kelly Prize for Exceptional Faculty Service in the Physical Sciences Division.

Lee holds an Sc.B. degree in Electrical Engineering from Brown University, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Applied Physics from Harvard University. She completed her postdoctoral training at Stanford University and the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Principal and Vice-Chancellor
University of Glasgow, UK

Sir Anton has been Principal and Vice-Chancellor, University of Glasgow, since October 2009. From 2007-2009 he was Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University. An economist, his research interests are monetary economics, central bank independence, fiscal policy, international finance and macroeconomics. Prior to 2007 he held various roles at the University of Glasgow including Vice-Principal - Strategy, Budgeting and Advancement (2004-07) and Daniel Jack Professor of Political Economy (1994-2007).

Sir Anton is Chair of Trustees of the Royal Economic Society. He was Chair (2016-21) of Scotland's First Minister's Standing Council on Europe, a non-political group providing expert advice to Scottish ministers on Scotland's relationship with the EU. He was a member of the Scottish Government's Council of Economic Advisers 2015-21, and thereafter advised them on the National Strategy for Economic Transformation. He was an adviser to the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee on fiscal and monetary policy between 2007-10.

From 2017-20 he was Chair of the Russell Group of Universities, and between 2012-19 was a Board member of the Scottish Funding Council which provides funding and oversight of Scotland's Colleges and Universities. He was a member of the Steering Group on the Stern Review of the Research Excellence Framework, 2016, and a member of the advisory group for Sir Paul Nurse's Review of the UK's Research, Development and Innovation Organisational Landscape, 2022.

Sir Anton was knighted in 2017 for services to economics and higher education and was awarded the honour of Knight Commander (Commendatore) by the Republic of Italy in 2008 for contributions to higher education and economic science.

Managing Partner
McKinsey's Greater China Office

Mr Ngai is Managing Partner of McKinsey's Greater China office, which is comprised of more than 550 Partners and consultants across offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Taipei.

Previously he led McKinsey's Financial Institutions and Private Equity Practices in Greater China. He has led many large-scale transformation efforts for Chinese as well as multinational institutions, and has advised senior management on topics such as strategy, mergers & acquisitions, and organizational transformation.

Mr Ngai is regularly quoted in top-tier publications such as The Economist, The Financial Times, and The Wall Street Journal, and is a frequent guest speaker at major international forums including, most recently, the World Economic Forum in Tianjin. He is the author of numerous reports on China's economy and financial institutions, and co-authored two editions of "Life Insurance in Asia", a leading publication in its field.

Mr Ngai serves on various government advisory committees, including the Council of Advisors on Innovation and Strategic Development for the Chief Executive of the HKSAR, the Financial Services Development Council, and the Financial Infrastructure Committee of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. He is also a Board Member of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park and advisor to the Better Hong Kong Foundation.

Mr Ngai is passionate about social enterprise and education. He is the Chairman of DiamondCab, an award-winning social enterprise, a director of Diocesan Boys' School Foundation, Regional Association President of Phillips Exeter Academy, and a former president of the Harvard Business School Association of Hong Kong.

A Hong Kong native, Mr Ngai attended Diocesan Boys' School, was valedictorian at Phillips Exeter Academy, and received his AB, JD and MBA from Harvard University, Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School.

Partner Emeritus, Deloitte China

Mr Tsai is a former Chairman of Deloitte China and has more than 35 years of experience in planning and managing audits for Hong Kong based operations of multinational groups, as well as local and overseas listed clients in a wide range of industries.

Mr Tsai is a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (the "HKICPA"), the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (the "ICAEW"). He is actively involved in the development of the CPA profession and contributes his efforts in various government, community and social organisations.

Mr Tsai is a Past President of the HKICPA, a Council Member of the ICAEW, a Member of the Hospital Authority, the Chairman of the Hospital Governing Committee of the Queen Mary Hospital and Tsan Yuk Hospital, the Chairman of the Supplementary Medical Professions Council of the Health Bureau, the Chairman of The Hong Kong Genome Institute, a Member of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority, an Advisor of The Ombudsman, Hong Kong, a Member of the Registration Committee of the Chinese Gold and Silver Exchange and a Member of the Independent Commission on Remuneration for Members of the Executive Council and the Legislature, and Officials under the Political Appointment System of the HKSAR Government.

Mr Tsai is an Adjunct Professor of the City University of Hong Kong, the Chairman of the Student Residence Management Board of the Hong Kong Baptist University, the Deputy Chairman of the Alumni Committee of The Hong Kong Baptist University Foundation, a Trustee of the Staff Superannuation Scheme of The Chinese University of Hong Kong and a Member of the Institutional Advancement and Outreach Committee of the University Council of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Mr Tsai is also the Chairperson of Hong Kong Red Cross.

Vice-Chancellor and President
University of Nottingham, UK

Professor Shearer West CBE is the seventh Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Nottingham.

Shearer is a Professor of Art History and has held a number of significant leadership roles in universities and higher education. She obtained her B.A. degree in Art History and English at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, and her Ph.D. in Art History at St. Andrews. She worked as an editor for the Grove Dictionary of Art before taking up her first academic post in art history at the University of Leicester.

In 1996, Shearer moved to the University of Birmingham as Head of the History of Art Department, then Head of the School of Historical Studies, and Acting Head of the College of Arts and Law. She was awarded a personal chair in 2000.

In 2008 Shearer was appointed Director of Research at the Arts and Humanities Research Council where she also chaired the Research Directors Group for Research Councils UK. She was appointed Head of the Humanities Division at Oxford in 2011, where she oversaw the launch of the Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities (TORCH) and the Ertegun Graduate Scholarship Programme in the Humanities. She was appointed Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Sheffield in 2015.

Shearer has authored and edited many articles and nine books including Portraiture, The visual arts in Germany 1897-1940: Utopia and Despair, and Fin De Siecle: Art and society in an age of uncertainty.

Shearer also has a number of international roles, including acting as main panel chair for the national research assessment exercise for Humanities in Norway and serving on the steering group to introduce impact into the Excellence in Research (ERA) exercise in Australia.

She has also represented the UK on the Science Europe Humanities Scientific Committee, and has been a jurist for the Spinoza Prize and Gravitation Awards in the Netherlands and the Odysseus and Solvay prizes in Belgium, as well as an Advisory Board member for the Social Sciences Faculty of the University of Vienna.

Currently a member of the Board of Universities UK, Shearer is also a Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery and a Trustee of King Edward's Foundation Independent Schools Governing Body in Birmingham. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, the Higher Education Academy and the Royal Historical Society. She received a CBE in the Queen's New Year Honours List of 2021.

Former Interim Provost
Hong Kong Baptist University

Professor Rick Wong is Chair Professor of Chemistry. He was former Interim Provost at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) until July 2023. Prior to that, he was appointed as Vice-President (Research and Development) in 2010 and Dean of Science in 2002. He served on the Research Grants Council from 2018 to 2021.

Professor Wong obtained his BSc degree in California State University in 1974. He furthered his studies in the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he received his PhD degree in 1978. He then worked as a post-doctoral researcher at UCLA (1978-1979) and Imperial College, London (1979−1984). At the same time, he obtained the MSc degree in Management Science at Imperial College in 1983.

Professor Wong joined the Department of Chemistry of HKBU in 1989 (the then Hong Kong Baptist College) and was promoted to Chair Professor of Chemistry in 2005. His main research interests lie in organometallic synthesis, bioactivity of inorganic/organometallic compounds, luminescent materials and homogeneous catalysis.

Deputy President and Provost
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Professor Wing-tak Wong is Deputy President and Provost (DP) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) as from December 2020.

Professor Wong received a Bachelor of Science degree with first-class honours in 1986 and a Master of Philosophy degree in 1988 from The University of Hong Kong. He then furthered his study in the UK and obtained his PhD degree from the University of Cambridge in 1991. Prior to joining PolyU, Professor Wong was Chair Professor in the Department of Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, where he began his career as a lecturer in Chemistry in 1991.

Professor Wong is an accomplished scientist with outstanding research achievements. His academic achievements are well recognized internationally, which brought him the Doctor of Science degree from the University of Cambridge in 2000; Croucher Senior Research Fellowship in 2004; and an Outstanding Achievement Award in Scientific Research for Institutions of Higher Education of China in 2012 (Second-Class).

Former President
Fudan University, China

Professor Ningsheng XU is Member of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Academician of Academy of Sciences for the Developing World. His research interests include nanotechnology, new semiconductor material, micro nanoelectronics and optoelectronics. He holds Bachelor Degree from Sun Yat-sen University and Doctor Degree and Honorary Doctor Degree from Aston University, UK. He was President of Sun Yat-sen University and President of Fudan University.

Professor XU serves as Representative to 12^th and 13^th National People's Congress and Member to 13^th National Five-year Plan National Expert Committee. Professor XU is Chair of General Expert Committee for National Nanotechnology Key Project, and serves as Member of Expert Committee for National First-class University and First-class Discipline, Member of the 8th State Council Degree Committee, Member of Shanghai Municipality Technology and Innovation Advancement Committee, and Member of the University Grants Committee (UGC) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. Professor XU has been Member of the Steering Committee of Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), and Chairman of International Steering Committee(ISC) of International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference(IVNC), Chairman of International Steering Committee(ISC) of Vacuum and Surface Sciences Conference of Asia and Australia(VASSCAA).

Partner
Kwok Yih & Chan, Solicitors

Mr Yih is a Hong Kong practising solicitor, and was the President of the Law Society of Hong Kong (2012-2013). He is currently the Chairman of the Quality Education Fund Steering Committee, and member of the Standing Committee on Legal Education and Training. He is also a non-executive director of the Securities and Futures Commission, and a non-executive director of the eMPF Platform Company Limited. He was previously Chairman of the Financial Dispute Resolution Centre.

Mr Yih is passionate about education. He is the Chairman of the King's College London Hong Kong Foundation. He was previously the Deputy Chairman of Council of The Education University of Hong Kong (2016-2022). He received his LL.B. from King's College London, and is a Fellow of King's College London and is an Honorary Fellow of The Education University of Hong Kong.

Former Investment Banker

Ms Zee had over 20 years of experience in investment banking and corporate finance and held various senior positions including Deputy Chief Executive and Managing Director of Haitong International Capital Limited. She is active in public service. She is a member of Mandatory Provident Fund Scheme Advisory Committee and member of the Process Review Panel of the Securities and Futures Commission and Cyberport Advisory Panel. She is also board member as well as chairperson of Investment Committee of Hong Kong Deposit Protection Board and member of Police Children's Education Trust Investment Advisory Board and Police Education and Welfare Trust Investment Advisory Board. She is formerly Vice Chair of The Chamber of Hong Kong Listed Companies and member of the Listing Committee of Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Ms Zee served previously in a few public roles in the education sector. She was a member of the Investment Committee of HKSAR Government Scholarship Fund and member of the Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education as well as the Self-financing Post-secondary Education Fund Steering Committee. She holds a B.S. degree from University of California, Berkeley, U.S. and is a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Chairman of the Committee on Self-Financing Post-Secondary Education

Ir Dr Alex Chan is a Senior Vice President of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences. He was President of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (2003-04) and Chair of the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) (2015-21). Internationally, he was Chair of the Sydney Accord (2007-11) and Chair of the International Professional Engineers Agreement (2014-17).

He received a BSc(Eng) in mechanical engineering in 1977 and a PhD in fluid dynamics in 1988 from the University of Hong Kong. He has extensive experience in engineering projects including buildings, power plants, road tunnels and mass transit systems in Hong Kong SAR, Mainland cities, Tokyo, Singapore, Australia, London and New York. He has been providing cost-effective solutions to new and operating facilities achieving improved performance. His focused areas are safety, efficient and reliable plant operations, improvements to environment, and products innovation and development.

Ir Dr Chan was awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star in 2022 by the HKSAR Government in recognition of his leadership in fostering the development of HKCAAVQ into a globally recognized and leading regional independent quality assurance body.

Vice Chancellor
Massey University, New Zealand

Professor Jan Thomas is Vice Chancellor of Massey University in New Zealand. Prior to this Professor Thomas served as Vice-Chancellor and President at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia.

Professor Thomas has a PhD in Veterinary Science from Murdoch University and taught, researched and published in Veterinary Pathology. She was an auditor for the AUQA, and continues as an international auditor for the Oman Accreditation and Assurance Agency. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute for Company Directors and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management. Professor Thomas is Chair of the Hong Kong Quality Assurance Council.

Chairman of the Research Grants Council

Professor Timothy W. Tong has over 30 years of teaching, research and administrative experience in universities in the United States and Hong Kong. Prior to taking the office of president of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University from 2009 to 2018, he was a professor and dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at The George Washington University. Professor Tong is now CEO of AMTD Foundation, which is a charity organization created to assist AMTD Group Company Limited to fulfill its corporate social responsibility. Being an expert in the field of heat transfer, Professor Tong is dedicated to addressing issues concerning energy use and sustainable development. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a fellow and former president of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences, and a fellow of the International Thermal Conductivity Conference.

Professor Tong's public engagement in Hong Kong includes serving as chairman of the Steering Committee of the Pilot Green Transport Fund, Environmental Protection Department from 2013 to 2019, chairman of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations of the Independent Commission Against Corruption from 2016 to 2021, member of the InnoHK Steering Committee and chairman of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum since 2019, and Chairman of the Research Grant Council since 2024.

Professor Tong was born and raised in Hong Kong. After completing his secondary education, he pursued further studies in the United States, where he received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Oregon State University in 1976, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1978 and 1980 respectively.

Secretary-General, University Grants Committee

Professor Tang has served in senior academic and management positions in local and overseas universities and possesses rich management experience in higher education institutions. He was Dean and Professor of Political Science at the School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University (SMU), from 2011-2018 and from 2014 concurrently served as Special Adviser to the President of SMU on Greater China affairs. Before assuming his position at SMU, Professor Tang had served in the University of Hong Kong and was the Head of the Department of Politics and Public Administration from 1999. During 2002 to 2006, he was the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, and from 2007 to 2010, he was Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration while serving as Director of the Master of International and Public Affairs Programme. Over the years, he also held visiting appointments at renowned universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and on the Mainland.