HONG KONG’S BEST ATTENDED AND MOST AMBITIOUS BUSINESS EVENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT #OnlyWayForward

Change Makers Stage

Change Makers Stage

Day 1 – Thursday 14 Sept

Social Innovators of Tomorrow

There is a tremendous desire among our young people to leverage their talents and work with businesses to design and scale creative solutions to social issues. How can we best translate this passion into innovations for a positive impact in Hong Kong?

The Social Innovators of Tomorrow programme will engage budding social entrepreneurs in Hong Kong to discuss the imperative of sustainability within the context of inclusive business models, inherent business opportunities for social impact, as well as the alignment of career and skillset development within this emerging space.

In partnership with

11:10 – 11:15

Opening Welcome: Social Innovators of Tomorrow

11:10 – 11:15

Speakers

Dr. Fred Kei-tat Ku

BESGO, CUHK

Programme Director, Business Education for Social Good (BESGO) ; Associate Dean, CUHK Business School

Dr. Fred Ku, Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies) at CUHK Business School, is an accomplished scholar and award-winning educator in fields of business economics, social values and ESG. He is also the founder and director of CUHK BESGO Programme, which aims to cultivate social mindset of budding business leaders and proactively drive cross-sector collaboration to co-create greater social good. Besides, Dr. Ku provides training and consultancy services to businesses and government agencies.

My sustainability goals for 2023:

I aspire to see Hong Kong nurturing socially conscious leaders, and businesses prioritizing social value alongside economic profit, ultimately fostering a sustainable and inclusive society.

Supported by

11:15 – 12:05

From Classroom to Boardroom: How can Education Better Prepare Future Leaders for Social Impact?

11:15 – 12:05

Looking at social impact through an educational lens reveals the need for equipping our future leaders with the knowledge and skillset to become more innovative and willing to take risks in this space. How can industry best work with educational institutions to incorporate the “S” into education and groom young talents into future agents of change?

Learnings

  • What is the latest development of social impact education within tertiary education institutions in Hong Kong?
  • What role do formal credit-bearing courses and experiential learning play in cultivating a social impact mindset in future leaders?
  • What are the trending soft skills and exposures needed to practice social innovation?
  • In what ways can industry work with educational institutions to better prepare future talents to take the baton for the city’s social aspirations?

Post-event Actions for Delegates

  • With increasing pressure for industry to address social impact, what are the forthcoming career opportunities in your organisation? How can we empower youth and young professionals in this space?

Speakers

Dr. Anson Au Yeung

Assistant Dean (Undergraduate Studies)

Dr. Anson Au Yeung is a Senior Lecturer in Finance and Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Business School. He also holds prominent positions as Programme Director for two key programmes at the institution: Asian Business Studies (ABS) and International Business & Chinese Enterprise (IBCE).
Before joining CUHK, Dr. Au Yeung was a Visiting Assistant Professor at City University of Hong Kong and a Visiting Scholar at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. Dr. Au Yeung’s scholarly pursuits encompass a wide range of topics, with a particular emphasis on corporate finance, capital markets, and international finance.
Dr. Au Yeung’s teaching expertise spans a wide range of academic levels, including undergraduate and Executive MBA programmes. His dedication and excellence in teaching have been recognized through the Vice-Chancellor’s Exemplary Teaching Award.

 

Dr. Fred Kei-tat Ku

BESGO, CUHK

Programme Director, Business Education for Social Good (BESGO) ; Associate Dean, CUHK Business School

Dr. Fred Ku, Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies) at CUHK Business School, is an accomplished scholar and award-winning educator in fields of business economics, social values and ESG. He is also the founder and director of CUHK BESGO Programme, which aims to cultivate social mindset of budding business leaders and proactively drive cross-sector collaboration to co-create greater social good. Besides, Dr. Ku provides training and consultancy services to businesses and government agencies.

My sustainability goals for 2023:

I aspire to see Hong Kong nurturing socially conscious leaders, and businesses prioritizing social value alongside economic profit, ultimately fostering a sustainable and inclusive society.

Melanie Kwok 郭鎧怡

Sino Group

Sino Group Assistant General Manager and Head of Sustainability

Melanie is the Assistant General Manager (Sustainability) and the Head of Sustainability of Sino Group. She oversees a range of sustainability projects related to ESG. Being a specialist in the realm of Sustainable Development for nearly 20 years, Melanie has also gained extensive experiences in Sustainable Tourism and Stakeholder Engagement.
Melanie holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Management from the Imperial College London, a Master Degree of Science in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a Master Degree in Sustainable Business from the University of Cambridge. She is also a certified Sustainable Tourism Professional by Global Sustainable Tourism Council.
Melanie is serving various public duties, including the Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC)’s Environment & Sustainability Committee, a member of the Publicity Working Group of Environmental Campaign Committee (ECC), a sub-committee member on Youth and Capacity Building of the Environment and Ecology Bureau, HKSAR Government and a member of the Advisory Committee on Recycling Fund (RFAC) of the Environment and Ecology Bureau, HKSAR Government.

My Sustainability Goals for 2024

Joining hands with our stakeholders in creating better lifescapes.

Henry Lee

Board Director and Former CEO

Henry has been with Teach For Hong Kong since 2020, having served as the CEO and currently the Director of the Executive Board. Through Teach For Hong Kong’s flagship Fellowship program, he has been endeavouring to nurture future leaders to address education inequity.
In his full-time capacity, Henry is the Enterprise Account Director at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, a role where he supports enterprise clients in hiring and developing great people. He is also the Social Impact lead at Linkedin, where he offers grants and support to non-profits in leveraging LinkedIn products in Hong Kong.
He is also a member of the Quality Education Fund Sub-committee, a role where he funds proposals from local schools and universities to scale up their quality education programmes.

My sustainability goals for 2023:

I believe leadership is the fundamental solution to the world’s problems. I aspire to witness our communities continue to invest in emerging leaders. It’s my fervent hope to see more of these young visionaries stepping forward to grapple with complex issues and drive impactful, tangible solutions.

Dr. Meike Sauerwein

Lecturer

Dr. Meike Sauerwein is a faculty at HKUST and the academic lead of the HKUST Life Cycle Lab. Her research interests evolve around environmental assessment of systems & products and consumption behaviours with focus on of circular systems in FMCG & textile. She teaches about Sustainable Consumption & Life Cycle Assessment and its applications in business, sustainable finance, and policymaking. Meike also leads the Sustainability Education Working Group of the HK Sustainable Campus Consortium.

My sustainability goals for 2023:

Openness of Hong Kong’s citizens towards rethinking and redesigning lifestyles that minimize resources demands and protect wellbeing of current and future generations.

Supported by

12:05 – 12:55

The Art of Social Entrepreneurship: Balancing Profit and Purpose

12:05 – 12:55

Purpose is the new Profit. As social entrepreneurs find new ways to integrate purpose into their ventures and the future they see for themselves and their communities, how are they managing the balance between financial sustainability and delivering societal impact?

Learnings

  • Why is purpose core to staying relevant in a fast-changing world?
  • What does it mean to achieve profit-purpose balance?
  • How can organisations move away from purely maximising shareholder returns to delivering value to all key stakeholders, while reaping the rewards of placing purpose at the core of their business strategy and model?

Post-event Actions for Delegates

  • Consider how your company and industry can cooperate with social entrepreneurship and initiatives that blend business and societal goals towards a better collective future

Speakers

Dr. Andrew Chi-lok Yuen

EMBA Director, CUHK Business School

Dr. Andrew Yuen graduated from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) obtained with BBA and MPhil degrees. Later, he obtained his PhD Degree of Transport Economics from Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia, Canada. Currently, he is a Senior Lecturer of Department of Decisions, Operations and Technology, CUHK. His main research interests include aviation and maritime economics, industrial organisation and applied econometrics. He published academic papers in various international peer-reviewed journals, including Journal of Transport Economics Policy, Journal of Air Transport Management, Transport Research Parts A and D, Maritime Policy and Management and Pacific Economic Review. Dr. Yuen was appointed as Assistant Dean of CUHK Business School, and Co-director of Integrated BBA Programme, between 2012 and 2014. Since 2014, he has served as the Associate Dean (General Education), SHHO College, and the Director of Policy and Knowledge Transfer, Aviation Policy and Research Centre at CUHK.

 

Aggie Chan

Founder and Director

Aggie Chan
EMBA, MA , BSW
Hong Kong renowned female philanthropist
Capital Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award 2013
Greater Bay China Outstanding Female Entrepreneur 2022
Greater Bay China Outstanding Young Leader 2023
Charter President , Hong Kong Clear Water Bay Leo Lions Club
Hong Kong Ocean Park Ambassador

Aggie Chan is the founder of Optical Easy, an O2O eyewear concept store in Causeway Bay and Tsuen Wan Hong Kong, which has been supporting the contact lens case recycling program for many years. We are committed to promote eye health, and public education on environmental protection. We would like to promote marine animal protection and environmental sustainability together with Ocean Park. “More Blue” is the slogan of Optical Easy too. We support Hong Kong brands, including our own brand of eyeglass frames and eco-friendly frames made from discarded fishnets.

Edmund Chan

COO & Co-founder

Edmund Chan is the co-founder of Meat the Next, a Super Food Technology Impact Venture on New Protein products & solutions for new generations. He obtained the degree of Executive MBA from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. With 15 years experience of in food industry marketing, operations, and business strategy, Mr. Chan has unique insights into new product development and has been well acquainted with trends and practices in the food industry though diet change for climate change.

My sustainability goals for 2023:

Diet Change to combat with the Climate change for sustainability eating habits and how to run the sustainable impact start up venture.

Queenie Man

The Project Futurus

Founder and CEO

Queenie is the Founder & CEO of The Project Futurus and Captain Softmeal. She is also the Managing Director at Forward Living and Culture Homes. Queenie is an appointed member of The Elderly Commission at the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to provide advice in the formulation of a comprehensive policy in caring for elders. Queenie is also a Board Member at AIDs Concern.

Queenie had worked as a global brand strategist for almost a decade specializing on brand strategy, design and customer experience for Fortune 500s prior to joining the eldercare field. Combining her insights and experiences in both branding and elderly services, Queenie established The Project Futurus in 2019 to transform the way people perceive aging through advocacy, education, community service, and impact program design. Queenie established “Captain Softmeal” (軟餐俠) to raise awareness on dysphagia health and recently expanded the platform to Singapore. In addition, she created an immersive experiential dim sum program “Sensory Restaurant on Wheels” (流動五感大茶樓) serviced over 2400 elders living with dementia to deliver the joy of dim sum dining. Queenie also responsible for the rebranding of “Culture Homes” and Nordic-inspired senior community “Forward Living”, and an aging-in-place concept experience store “The Living Gallery”.

Queenie was named “Harper’s Bazaar Visionary Women Award 2023”, “Prestige Women of Power 2023”, “Tatler Gen.T 2022 Leaders of Tomorrow” and “Jessica Most Successful Women 2021” . She is also a TEDx and KODW speaker, an Enterprise Advisor at CLAP@JC, and a MingPao columnist.

Queenie holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, specializing in Marketing and Information Systems from the University of Washington (USA). She is also pursuing a Masters Degree in Dementia at the University of Stirling (UK) (2022-2025). She is also a certified Healthcare Worker and Personal Care Worker, and an Eden Alternative Associate advocating for human-centric care.

My sustainability goals for 2024:

I am committed to channelling my passion serving our elders and their well-being. By combining my experience and passion in social innovation, elderly service, and brand strategy & design, I hope to be able to create a new narrative for aging and inspire positive transformation.

Aging is one of UN’s global mega trends, I hope to be able to introduce innovative aged care practices by connecting global practices and knowledge exchange. My sustainability goals for 2024-2025 are to continue to champion for elders’ well-being through meaningful engagements, provide dignified dining solutions for those with swallowing difficulties, raise awareness on positive ageing and promote social inclusion, and to support WHO’s UN Decade of Healthy Ageing.

Jeffrey Yau

Founder & Business Director

I was born and raised in Hong Kong and begin my career as a Trane HVAC Sales Engineer in 1990. Soon I joined the oil lubricants sector and started managing China market business with Castrol/BP from 1996. I enjoyed my stay in Shanghai and Guangzhou for the lubricants business before I moved back to Hong Kong and joined DuPont/Chemours in 2006 as APAC Refrigerants manager and started leading Teflon™ coating business from 2009. I considered my key qualities like fast learning, customer centric, strong business acumen, strategic thinking and seasoned people skills allow me to develop in different industries, markets and products and taken on challenges successfully.
I left my last full-time position with Chemours in 2019 and started technology consultancy practice for a couple years before I completed the MIT Sustainability Executive program in 2021. Soon I found “GRPan” and taking actions to reduce landfill waste, CO2-GHG emissions and do good for our environment.

My sustainability goals for 2023:

As I started GRPan, I am devoted to reducing landfills waste and CO@-GHG emissions by Refurbishing more damaged worn-out nonstick cookware for Reuse.
Together with my team, Alliance & Partners, we strive for promoting circular economy in real practice for Repairing and Reuse nonstick frypan, pots, rice cooker inserts, baking trays which shall not dumped to the landfills as we can recoat them with a new nonstick coating for Reuse and extend their product lifespan.

Supported by

14:00 – 14:50

Integrating Social Impact into Core Business Strategies: Opportunities for Future Social Innovators

14:00 – 14:50

Integrating social impact into business strategies and developing a social mindset and culture across organisational structures requires collective effort at all levels. How can we align the purpose and mission of individual stakeholders to the vision of organisations? How can young professionals create meaningful change within and beyond their job functions?

Learnings

  • How can we promote social innovation and impact within business strategies and company culture?
  • In what ways can we empower colleagues around us to become social innovators and actors?
  • How should companies see and adapt passion projects and hybrid working options?

Post-event Actions for Delegates

  • What strategical, operational and cultural transformation is needed for your team to recognise their potential in creating social impact in their roles?

Speakers

Dr. Irene Ho

Lecturer, CUHK Business School

Dr Irene Ho is a faculty at CUHK Business School and the Associate Director of an MSc programme in Sustainable Global Business. Before joining academia, she worked for financial institutions such as HSBC, Fidelity Investments, and AIA. Irene always supports students to start their businesses and provides consulting services to companies in the healthcare industry. Dr Ho’s research interests include sustainable business model innovation and environmental impacts on mental health.

My sustainability goals for 2023:

Nurture business leaders with 3Ps (people, planet, and profit) mindsets to co-create a sustainable ecosystem.

May Lau

Director of Social Impact

May is a Registered Social Worker in Hong Kong and a seasoned professional in strategy planning, marketing, project management, and communications strategy.

Prior to joining Chow Tai Fook to drive the social impact strategy, May was the Head of Family Foundation at Lee Kum Kee Family Foundation and drives philanthropic impact for a brighter future via collaborative projects with partner organizations, as well as strategic philanthropy with its clients beyond grant-making. She is in charge to steer the foundation to illustrate the organization’s impact through co-creating research and study with the tertiary institutions and demonstrating and telling the impact story using publication and multi-media.

May is also a part time lecturer for Innovation in Philanthropy at the School of Management, Tung Wah College. Graduated from The University of Hong Kong, Master of Social Sciences (Non-profit Management), May is currently also a student of Doctor of Public Administration.

My sustainability goals for 2023:

  1. Promote inclusivity, specifically addressing to the ageing trends, facilitating intergenerational communication across generations in the corporate setting.
  2. Enhance employee wellbeing and increase community engagement and development initiatives at our Mainland and Hong Kong Office.
  3. Establishing robust internship and mentoring programs, enhance youth talent development and encourage innovation especially for the Jewels craftmanship.

 

 

Jennifer Lee

New World Development Company Limited

Assistant General Manager

Jennifer is a change-maker who believes Creating Shared Value (CSV) is the new business future. She drives the launch of Share for Good, Hong Kong’s first city-wide crowd donation platform born in just three weeks during the fifth- and the worst- wave of COVID-19. It has since become a s88 charity, partnering with 120 NGOs, to efficiently distribute much-needed supplies to those in need. Intertwining business mindset to the CSV mission of New World Group, she continues to drive various partnerships both in the business and charity landscapes, to address the most pressing societal needs in time.

Jennifer has nearly 20 years of experience in strategy and marketing, and has worked in Taiwan, Singapore, UK and Ethiopia being the regional head of property strategy at a listed conglomerate; head of strategy at a global apparel company; and various strategy roles in real estate, energy and communications industries.

My Sustainability Goals for 2024:

A sustainable community means tying business goals to social progress. Hong Kong is at its best position to leverage the assets of each organisation and to find the common grounds in achieving win-win ESG results. Our goal is to call for more partners in alleviating societal problems together in a more efficient manner.

Queenie So

Founder & CEO

Ms. Queenie So (蘇冠嵐) is the Founder & CEO of SyZyGy, a Cyberport incubated creative technology company that builds B2B and B2G digital experience solutions. The team primarily serves the brands and events industry, as well as specializes in creating digital user experience for the automobile industry.

One of the signature solutions is EF-Portal, which is basically an AI digital human solution presented in hologram that users can interact with.

Queenie has also initiated Creating Shared Value (CSV) and actively led all teammates and partners collectively contributing to tech talent cultivation through the provision of STEAM courses and VR learning experience. The team is also working with UBC research team on applying creative tech solutions for Gerontech use.

While leading the team to continuously gain several industry recognitions, Queenie is also personally being recognized by Gen.T List as the 2021 honouree.

My sustainability goals for 2023:

I hope to see more industry leaders especially those from emerging fields can activate local young talents to build a more sustainable Hong Kong together. To achieve this, we need to first empower the younger generations with structural planning. We can always start with engaging youth in our own business or other works as the first baby step.

Janice Sue Wong

Senior Innovation Lead

Janice Sue Wong believes in the transformative power of business and technology to create value and drive positive change.

Janice has 10 years of experience across corporate innovation, strategy consulting and social innovation. Janice is currently the Senior Innovation Lead at Jardine Matheson, a diversified Asian-based conglomerate. Prior to that, she worked as a Strategy Consultant and Corporate Social Responsibility Lead at Accenture, a global management consulting firm.

Janice specializes in innovation, digital transformation, venture building, investment, and sustainability. Janice has extensive experience helping companies redefine their business strategy and operations by identifying new opportunities that arise at the intersection of business, technology, and sustainability. She has led a wide range of initiatives covering topics such as growth strategy, new business launches, digital strategy, and sustainability innovation.

Supported by

14:50 – 15:40

Collaboration for Change: How Educators, Businesses, and Social Innovators can Work Together to Create a Better Future

14:50 – 15:40

Come hear from our speakers to discover the synergy derived from the collaboration between educators, businesses, and social innovators in driving positive change. This session aims to explore strategies and examples of successful partnerships to inspire young professionals to seek collaborative opportunities and contribute to a better future.

Learnings

  • What opportunities and challenges exist for educators, business leaders and social innovators to join hands and create space for young people to exchange ideas, share experiences and co-create solutions?
  • How can key stakeholders work to provide mentorship opportunities, exposure, access to markets and networks to help young people realise their potential as social changemakers for a sustainable future?

Post-event Actions for Delegates

  • Rethink how you can better support cross-sectoral collaboration to drive positive change on an individual and organisational level.

Speakers

Dr. Rosette Leung

CUHK Business School

Lecturer

Dr. Rosette Leung is a Lecturer in the Department of Marketing at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Business School. She teaches various courses, including Marketing Management, Global Marketing Management, Buyer Behaviour, Digital Marketing, and Integrated Marketing Communication. Her research interests span multiple areas, from social media marketing to internet-based relationships.

My sustainability goals for 2024:

My sustainability goals are to inspire and equip the next generation with the knowledge, skills, and determination to make sustainable choices and become leaders on fostering a more sustainable future. In addition to my commitment in business case writing about sustainability, innovation and climate change, I hope I can engage in more collaborative efforts with organizations and academics for sharing knowledge and best practices in sustainability.

Chester Cheng

Carbon Wallet

Co-founder

Chester joined MTR Corporation as Graduate Trainee in 2019, and co-founded Hong Kong’s leading one-stop green lifestyle reward platform Carbon Wallet from zero to one in 2021. He currently heads up the social innovation venture as a subsidiary of MTR Lab.
He is passionate about driving sustainable consumption for cities, and strives to transform issue-based climate communications into action-based engagement to inspire climate actions among individuals.

My sustainability goals for 2024:

  • Everyone in Hong Kong getting used to waste sorting at households and start recycling.
  • Less disposable used in the city, people supporting sustainable merchants.

Isabel Li

Head of Education

Ms. Isabel Li is a passionate educator with over two decades of experience in wildlife conservation through informal learning environments. She was a board member of International Zoo Educators Association for over 10 years and was the President of the Association from 2016 to 2018 creating transformational change to zoo and aquarium education globally. As the Head of Education at Ocean Park Corporation, she steers the development of education engagement within and outside the boundary of Ocean Park so that we can create a world where all people respect and act to protect biodiversity.

My sustainability golas for 2023:

My sustainability goals for 2023/24 for Hong Kong would be that local produce are more readily available and Hong Kong people will choose to eat local food.

Lehui Liang

Chief Impact Capital Officer

Lehui Liang is the Chief Impact Capital Officer at Social Ventures Hong Kong. The Impact Capital team designs new platforms to synthesise capital from partners across all sectors and enables these resources to have a social impact in enriching Hong Kong’s communities. Lehui is also the Senior Manager, Hong Kong for AVPN, a Singapore-based funders’ network committed to building a vibrant and high impact social finance community across Asia.

My sustainability goals for 2023:

Active communities and changemakers all contributing their unique strengths towards creating a “New Urban” Hong Kong that everyone can be proud of.

Lee Williamson

Regional head of Gen.T

Lee Williamson is an award-winning media leader with over a decade of experience in the region. He is the regional head of Tatler Gen.T, a community-focused content and events platform for Asia’s Leaders of Tomorrow. He was selected as a WAN-IFRA Young Media Leaders Fellow 2020 and is the president of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Hong Kong.

Supported by

With thanks to

15:50 – 16:40

Celebrating Social Innovation: Insights from the Hong Kong Social Enterprise Challenge

15:50 – 16:40

This section will feature the winning teams and esteemed judges from the Hong Kong Social Enterprise Challenge (“HKSEC”), a competition that fosters youth-led social ventures in the region. The session will offer valuable insights into the innovative ideas, strategies, and challenges faced by the winners, as well as the perspectives of the judges on what makes a successful social enterprise. Attendees will have the unique opportunity to learn from and engage with these accomplished individuals to gain inspiration and practical advice for their own social innovation journeys.

Speakers

Dr. Elsie Tsui

Head, Social Innovation, ORKTS CUHK/Project Director (HKSEC)

Dr. Elsie Tsui is the Head of Social Innovation of ORKTS of CUHK, and the Project Director of the Hong Kong Social Enterprise Challenge (HKSEC). In her role, Dr. Tsui supports CUHK members and local youth to co-create social impact through knowledge exchange and entrepreneurship. Prior to joining the university, she has extensive experience both as a corporate executive and a management consultant. She currently teaches at CUHK Business and serves on a few boards and government taskforce.

My sustainability goals for 2023:

Supporting both environmental and social sustainability efforts

William Chow

CFO & Co-Founder

William is the Co-Founder and CFO of ESGuardian, a green-tech startup devoted to bringing low carbon necessities products to individuals using Silica Capsule technology which reduce 99% size and weight of the products at the same time reduce >90% GHG from logistics and minimize plastic waste.
William was born and raised in Hong Kong. He worked for Big 4 accounting firm and international consulting firm. He graduated from the BBA in PACC in CUHK and he is a member of HKICPA.

My sustainability goals for 2023:

I would love to see more active involvement and awareness in environmental preservation from all parties (Government, Corporate and General Public).

Tze-wei Ng

Judge

Tze-wei Ng has been a regular judge for HKSEC since 2019. She has over a decade of experience advising NGOs and social enterprises in Hong Kong and the region on strategic issues such as governance, structuring, and fundraising.

As a private wealth lawyer specializing in philanthropy, impact investing, and ESG with the Hong Kong office of an international law firm, she merges her deep knowledge of charities and social innovation with her legal advisory work. She is known for her understanding of the increased mixed use of non-profit and for-profit tools in creating impact, and has been involved in setting up some of Hong Kong’s earliest social finance platforms and vehicles.

She is a board member of Resolve Foundation and HER Fund in Hong Kong, a founding board member of Global Alliance of Impact Lawyers, and was a founding team member of Sustainable Finance Initiative and founding director of the Hong Kong office for PILnet: The Global Network for Public Interest Law.

Anushka Purohit

CEO and Co-Founder

Passionate, proactive and perseverant, Anushka is the CEO and Co-founder of Breer, a food upcycling startup that collects surplus bread from bakeries and restaurants and uses it to brew local craft beer. She has studied Electronic and Computer Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and has been featured in the Forbes 30U30 2023 List, is a Tatler Gen T Honoree, won AmCham’s Young Achiever 2021 and has been crowned Indians of the World at the House of Lords in UK.

My Sustainability Goals for 2023:

The reduction in single use plastics in the F&B Industry, alternative usage considerations for products that are presently being wasted, re-allocation of wasted resources back into the supply chain

Tiffany Wong_photo

Tiffany Wong

Founder and CEO

Ms. Tiffany Wong, founder of Retrovert and winner of HKSEC 2021-22, is a passionate advocate for a circular economy. Retrovert, a leading O2O second-hand clothing platform among local youth, extends the lifespan of second-hand clothing through recycling, restyling and reuse, rebranding the consumption of used clothing and contributing to a culture of sustainability in Hong Kong. A portion of Retrovert’s income supports local young mothers and NEET youth by employment and on-job training.

Supported by

Day 2 – Friday 15 Sept

Green Leaders of Tomorrow

 

As the transition to sustainable business models and strategies takes centre stage, it is imperative to ensure the next generation of decision-makers is empowered with the appropriate knowledge and skillset to take up the baton.

The Green Leaders of Tomorrow programme is being designed to facilitate a two-way exchange and engagement between young professionals and business leaders. How should sustainability education be imparted in Hong Kong? How are different industries working to fill the green talent gap? How can we create space to bring young people on board, and also help realise their potential as changemakers for a sustainable future?

In partnership with

Supported by

10:30 – 10:35

Opening Welcome: Green Leaders of Tomorrow

10:30 – 10:35

Speakers

Christie Lai

Co-founder

Christie is an Ecology and Biodiversity student at HKU and aspires to become a marine biologist. At the age of 21, Christie embarked on an international climate change expedition to Antarctica. Inspired by her prior experience in conservation, education and innovation, she is committed to creating tangible changes with an interdisciplinary approach. Christie co-founded 2041 Hong Kong with the aim to promote youth uptake in sustainability through solution-based projects and innovative education.

My sustainability goals for 2023:

To promote youth capacity building and to co-create impact-driven projects that address climate change mitigation and adaptation with peers, institutions and businesses.

10:35 – 11:25

Shifting Mindsets and Practices: Embedding Sustainability into In-House and Business Education

10:35 – 11:25

Sustainability is burgeoning as a theme across all business functions in a company. As companies transition towards sustainability practices, how can industry best work with other institutions to ensure current and future business talents are prepared to take the baton for the city’s sustainability aspirations?

Learnings

  • What are the top sustainability skills and attributes sought from graduates by business leaders? Perspectives from an understanding of the science versus that of business models and operations.
  • In view of the increasing number of courses and specialisations on sustainability, what role does formal credit-bearing courses and experiential learning play in nurturing future environmentally conscious business leaders?
  • How can businesses better equip employees with relevant sustainability knowledge and experience? Perspectives from academia, human resources, business leaders, youth and more
  • What are the challenges and opportunities of incorporating sustainability into workplace training? What are the roles of employers in preparing their workforce to address sustainability challenges?
  • What is the impact of sustainability education on different business units and strategies?

Post-Event Actions

  • Gain insights on best practices for embedding sustainability into in-house education, shifting mindsets and practices towards a sustainable business transition, and preparing employees in different business units to address sustainability challenges.

Speakers

Dr Margaret Burnett

Centre for Civil Society and Governance, The University of Hong Kong

Programme Director

Currently the Programme Director for the Master of Social Science in Sustainability Leadership and Governance, in the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at the University of Hong Kong. Margaret has developed this Master programme to enhance learning, grow deeper understanding, and enable professionals to implement sustainability initiatives across all roles. Empowering both students and clients to integrate sustainability into personal and core organizational decision-making processes as this is time critical and, the focus the programme. She is often a guest speaker, and partners with organizations to provide support to their in-house sustainability strategies, currently through the lens of climate change related factors, and mechanisms for greater stakeholder engagement.

My Sustainability Goals for 2024:

For leaders, at all levels, to put into action significant changes to their operating environment given the tools at their disposal, and a greater level of authentic collaboration that truly seeks human-centric solutions. Let’s be on the right side of the climate change battle!

Keith Chan

Assistant Professor

Keith is an Assistant Professor of Green Finance at the HKUST, where he is responsible for teaching three core courses: ESG Reporting and Management, Economics for Environmental Policy and Management, and Green Business Strategy. Keith obtained his PhD in Economics from University of Cambridge. He is a Co-Principal Investigator of Theme-based Research Scheme (TRS) 2021/22 by the Research Grants Council (RGC) of the Hong Kong Government, entitled ”Developing Hong Kong as a Global Green Finance Centre” (HKD 10,858,000). He is currently developing a research program on applying micro-economic and game theories to study the optimal design of green finance policies, including credibility assessment of corporate net-zero transition pathways. His work on green finance taxonomies has been cited by policy thinktanks. Keith also helps the Hong Kong Institute of Qualified Environmental Professionals (HKIQEP) to develop educational materials on corporate sustainability and ESG reporting.

My sustainability goals for 2023:

  • To have its green classification framework (taxonomy) recognized and endorsed by international regulators.

Summer Chen

ERM

Principal Consultant, Corporate Sustainability and Climate Change

Summer is a Principal Consultant of Corporate Sustainability and Climate Change (CSCC) Team with ERM based in Hong Kong. She leads the CSCC work across Greater China and currently serves as the APAC Technical Community Lead. Summer’s focus is on advising her Clients on their transition to a low carbon economy and working with their teams to ensure that a robust strategy is in place so they can meet their climate, nature and ESG goals.  Summer has significant experience in climate risk assessment projects in the Asia region and depth knowledge around power & renewables including emerging clean technologies such as hydrogen, EV.

Prior to Hong Kong, Summer has worked for the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office for over 5 years on climate change energy policy through the delivery of projects to support regional energy transition. She has previously lived and worked in Malaysia, Mainland China, Kenya and the UK, frequently collaborating with large multi-disciplinary teams throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and APAC. She is passionate about promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment and was nominated as Champion for Women in Renewables Asia.

Derek Wu

Lead Consultant

Derek works as the Lead Consultant at AXA Climate to bring AXA’s risk expertise onto the topics of climate and nature and advise big corporations, financial institutions, and non-profits in the APAC region.

Throughout his career, Derek has supported clients across various sustainability fronts, including climate and biodiversity risk assessments, scenario analysis, sustainability and business resilience strategy development and ESG engagements and due diligences. His guidance has enabled operation teams, management, and boards to navigate the increasing scrutiny and uncertainty posed by climate change.

Derek’s academic background in environment management and technology has provided him with a strong foundation for his work, as he continues to deepen his knowledge in this ever-evolving field. Outside of work, Derek is an avid scuba-diver and mountain climber, which you will find him either out in the wild or indoor planning for his next liveaboard or hiking trip.

My Sustainability Goals for 2023:

Having witnessed first-hand how plastics are affecting the nature, both land and ocean, a big goal I wish to make happen is to reduce single-use plastics, personally and among colleagues (to make the daily pile of single-use plastics disposed after lunch disappear!)

Justin Yeung

2041 Hong Kong

Co-Founder

Justin Yeung is the Co-Founder of 2041 Hong Kong, a youth organisation dedicated to promoting sustainable development and climate action. In this role, he oversees strategic implementations and management across internal functions and provides mentorship to a growing team of young professionals and university students working on various projects.

At Techtronic Industries (TTI), Justin holds the position of Senior Sustainability and Communications Executive. He has played a pivotal role in advancing the company’s sustainability efforts. Starting his career in the Leadership Development Program (Management Trainee), Justin has gained extensive experience across various functions within TTI. Currently, he leads the social sustainability function for the region, collaborating closely with other regions on strategy, communications, reporting, and impact engagement. Justin also contributes to sustainable product design and manages the sustainability department’s budget. He launched the Youth Development Program, an internship initiative aimed at nurturing talent in the industry. Additionally, he coordinates employee engagement efforts and manages the partnership with Habitat for Humanity for regional projects.

In his previous role, Justin supported the establishment of supply chain memberships, conducted climate risk assessments, and managed ESG data and ratings.

Justin has been recognized for his achievements, being selected as one of the AmCham Future Leaders in 2023. Recently, he received the UBS Award at Melofest 2024 with IMPACT41 for a Nature-based Solution (NbS) addressing marine biodiversity loss and decarbonization. Beyond his professional commitments, Justin volunteers with the United World College Graduates Organization (UWCGO), where he advocates for cultural diversity and exposure in education, while strengthening alumni connections, and engagement with the UWC movement.

His contributions to sustainable development, climate action, and social initiatives have established him as a young leader driving positive change in both local and global communities.

My sustainability goals for 2024:

  • Promote youth engagement in sustainable development initiatives and foster inclusive thought leadership and influence.
  • Encourage widespread adoption and recognition of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to address the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.
  • Foster community building and collaboration to empower individuals, organizations, and industries in driving sustainable development efforts.

Supported by

11:25 – 12:15

Hong Kong’s Green Talent: Rethinking Recruitment & Retention for the Future Workforce

11:25 – 12:15

The increasing demand by young adults for jobs that would allow them to contribute towards the sustainability transition is clear. Amongst work-life balance, geography, good pay and benefits, and other factors, the opportunity to work in a sustainability-oriented role, function, company and industry has emerged as key to our younger workforce’s career considerations.

Learnings

  • What is the state of play in Hong Kong? What green jobs will be in high demand?
  • How can industry best identify, recruit and retain young sustainability talents? How can we address current skills gaps via training and education? What are the pertinent opportunities and challenges?
  • How can we align company goals with the identities, incentives and expectations of young talents in sustainability?

Post-Event Actions

  • Consider the development of roles and upskilling/reskilling opportunities for your company and industry.

Speakers

Dr. Meike Sauerwein

Lecturer

Dr. Meike Sauerwein is a faculty at HKUST and the academic lead of the HKUST Life Cycle Lab. Her research interests evolve around environmental assessment of systems & products and consumption behaviours with focus on of circular systems in FMCG & textile. She teaches about Sustainable Consumption & Life Cycle Assessment and its applications in business, sustainable finance, and policymaking. Meike also leads the Sustainability Education Working Group of the HK Sustainable Campus Consortium.

My sustainability goals for 2023:

Openness of Hong Kong’s citizens towards rethinking and redesigning lifestyles that minimize resources demands and protect wellbeing of current and future generations.

Bon Cheung

Civic Exchange

Assistant Manager

Bon Cheung is an Assistant Manager of Civic Exchange, focusing on green and sustainable finance market development. He has obtained several professional designations, such as the SCR Certificate from the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP), and Green and Sustainable Finance Professional™ from the Chartered Banker Institute (CBI). Moreover, Bon has engaged and published plenty of impactful academic research on green finance development in GBA. Apart from academic development, He has also been invited to be panellist and guest lecturer for talks and lectures in Master level courses related to green and sustainable finance. With these achievements, he was recognised and nominated as one of the representatives of the HKUST to compete for the Oxford Green Finance Prize 2023.

My sustainability goals for 2024:

Bring Theory to Practise, Connect Stakeholders, Facilitate the Low Carbon Transition in the GBA.

Haily Chan

Swire Pacific

Manager, Sustainable Development

Haily has extensive experience in the field of corporate sustainability, including disclosures, strategy development, and stakeholder engagement. At Swire, she advises on key policies and developments related to sustainability and supports the implementation of the Group’s sustainability strategy, SwireTHRIVE, with a focus on managing water and supply chain impacts. She also manages the Group’s capacity building programmes and engagement strategy to further embed sustainability within the business.

My sustainability goals for 2024:

Enhance organisational sustainability fluency and literacy in support of SwireTHRIVE objectives.

Shruthe Kirupakaran

Renewable Analyst | NESS Founding Member

Shruthe is a Renewable Analyst at Brawn Capital and one of the Founding Members of the Network of Environmental Student Societies (NESS). With her passion for climate change awareness and action, she has worked on a number of projects focusing on ESG and Circular Economy. She believes that Responsible Consumption and Production is the key to a more sustainable future.

My Sustainability Goals for 2023:

I would like to see continued symbiotic relationship between different industries in the city where they mutually benefit each other through efficient use of resources for the goal of sustainability.

Priscilla Lin

Schneider Electric (Hong Kong) Limited

Sustainability and Strategy Manager

Priscilla Lin is the Sustainability and Strategy Manager at Schneider Electric (Hong Kong) Limited. She manages the company’s sustainability strategy and engages ecosystems in bridging sustainability and progress for all.

Before joining Schneider Electric, Priscilla was a sustainability professional in corporate sustainability consulting and a seasoned global citizenship education facilitator.

She is a participant in the 26th and 27th UN Climate Change Conferences in Glasgow and Sharm El Sheikh. Outside of work, she has co-founded The Shared Meal, a platform that promotes a sustainable food system and Solmunity, an initiative to drive community solar in Hong Kong.

My sustainability goals for 2024:

Empower and drive system-level climate action to secure a livable future for all.

Supported by