BEC Sustainable Business Theatre

Kevin O’Brien is the Chief Executive of Gammon Construction. He has over 30 years’ extensive management experience in the construction and engineering industry covering both the private and public sectors.  He is a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and a member of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors. He is the Chairman of the Business Environment Council.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

Less talk, more action. Business leaders making the right choices for the future.

Jonathan Chiu is President of Schneider Electric (Hong Kong) Limited. Appointed to this role in February 2019, he is responsible for overseeing the company’s overall strategy, operations and business transformation. Jonathan joined Schneider Electric in 1996 and has accumulated more than two decades of experience in various managerial positions. He has been a key driving force in Schneider Electric’s business growth and in consolidating the company’s market leadership in the Greater China region.

Prior to his current role, Jonathan was the Vice President of Partner and Channel covering Low-voltage Power Products and Digital Energy Business of Schneider Electric Hong Kong. He also led the Secure Power Division which drives the businesses of IT channel and mission-critical data centers in Hong Kong. Previously, Jonathan also served as the General Manager of APC by Schneider Electric, and a member of the Senior Leadership Team of APC Greater China. Jonathan’s experience across the breadth of businesses and his in-depth understanding of digital technologies form Schneider Electric’s mission to be a digital partner in sustainability and efficiency for customers. He is also passionate about empowering businesses to digitally transform throughout the life cycle with innovative strategies and trusted technology.

Jonathan holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the University of Hong Kong, a Master of Business Administration from City University of Hong Kong and a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg-HKUST Executive MBA Program.

Nicola Evans is the executive lead for communications at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a global and independent charity that develops and promotes the idea of a circular economy. Those who are part of the problem can and must be part of the solution, and Nicola’s team shines a light on the people, businesses and innovators who are leading the acceleration to a circular economy to help inspire others to join the journey.

Mr. Merlin Lao is Head of Policy & Research at BEC. He leads the team to share develop clear policy positions on pressing climate and environmental topics in Hong Kong, through undertaking research on latest domestic and international trends, engaging with the Hong Kong SAR Government and connecting insights of the local business sector.

Mr. CHENG is currently the Business Development and Performance Director of Veolia Hong Kong, responsible for the strategic development of water, solid waste, and energy management activities in the region.

Mr. CHENG is committed to serving the society, and is an active member in many professional institutions. He is currently serving as the Chairman of Hong Kong Waste Management Association (HKWMA).

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

Turning waste into resources, and reduce the impact of waste on carbon emission

Suzanne Cheung is the Head of Sustainability and directs the Public Affairs and Communications Department of Swire Coca-Cola HK. She develops and executes sustainability and communications strategies and actions in HK market based on the Swire Coca-Cola 2030 Sustainable Development Strategy, covering ‘Planet’, ‘Product’ and ‘People’, which includes sustainable packaging advancement.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

More innovation in sustainable packaging through reduction of materials, redesign for recyclability, circular economy and a producer responsibility scheme that enable cost-effective consumer packaging recycling.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

Nicholas Ho is Chairman of hpa, a leading architectural practice. Ho is the Hong Kong China’s representative to APEC Business Advisory Council, director of Beam Society Limited, member of CIC Committee on Environment, council member of Hong Kong Institute of Architects & Chair of its Board of Local Affairs.

Tony Ip is a community-centric, sustainable design architect and urban designer. He has 20 years of interior design, architectural, urban design and engineering experience. His passion and contributions to green architecture have been highly recognized by receiving Australia China Alumni Award for Arts and Creative Industries 2018, Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award 2016, EcoStar Award 2014 and HKIA Young Architect Award 2010.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

Green architecture is not optional but essential.

Sam Nunn is responsible for the execution of Hilti’s global sustainability strategy across north Asia. Key focus areas include delivery on regional Sustainability ambitions in Hilti’s focus areas of Environment, People, and Society, and development of value-adding sustainability services for construction customers across the region.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

I hope to see the conversation about circular design and whole-life carbon assessment becoming mainstream in HK. These are step-changers for a truly sustainable construction industry!

Tammy is an Associate of Arup, with a focus on formulating sustainability strategy and implementation plans on carbon, resources efficiency, climate resilience and circular economy from city, district to community level. She is the Skills Leader of Circular Economy of East Asia leading Arup’s expertise in the region.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

I hope to see the concepts of circular economy more widespread and more application of circular economy approaches in the built environment sectors.

Priscilla is a Chartered E&M Engineer with extensive experience in project management and sustainable built environment. She is also an ESG Steering Committee Member of the Chinachem Group.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

Substantial step from all stakeholders towards carbon neutrality in built environment.

Prof. Lo is currently the Head of Department of Government and Public Administration and the Director of the Centre for Business Sustainability at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is dedicated to promoting CSR as a progressive business model that permits corporations and SMEs to achieve business sustainability through the launch and compilation of the Business Sustainability Indices covering SMEs in HK and the listed companies in Hong Kong, Greater Bay Area and Greater China.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

I wish to see more corporations taking systematic and innovative approaches to deliver benefits to the society, contribute to building a more inclusive and climate-resilient Hong Kong.

With over 19 years’ experience as a multi-disciplinary designer, Pamela Hinton has worked on a vast array of award winning, global projects. Inspired by a desire to boost innovation and drive positive change, she joined SOS in 2021. As General Manager for SOS, she supports organisations on their path to decarbonisation.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

Integration of circular practices, procurement of high quality furniture and sustainable waste management in all corporate real estate projects.

Laurent is a software engineer and a green-tech entrepreneur based on Boston, USA. Laurent co-founded Spare-it, a SaaS platform for Workplace Sustainability, leveraging live data from the office to engage employees in taking actions to reduce their impact.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

I hope Hong Kong will continue to invest on waste reduction, both through governmental incentives and private projects. New waste reduction technologies can deliver their full potential if properly funded and promoted.

Caitlin Shem, Regional Sustainability Lead, has over 8 years’ experience in the sustainability sector throughout Asia Pacific. She specialises in the development and implementation of decarbonisation targets and strategies for operational carbon. Caitlin will leverage her international expertise collaborating on projects at a grassroots to corporate level in Asia and Australia for commercial real estate and industrial assets to drive measurable outcomes for occupiers.

Joyce Tsoi is the Director of Collective Action Programs at the Sustainable Apparel Coalition based in Hong Kong. She manages all SAC’s Collective Action programs and activities, support members and ecosystem partners to prioritize actions, accelerate sustainable environmental and social impacts and transform our industry into one that gives more than it takes- to the people and the planet.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

Call for Collective Action: We must continue to strive our carbon neutrality goal by significantly reduce carbon emissions to keep warming within planetary boundaries.

Christy has over 18 years of experience in offering total supply chain solutions to international brands and retailers for global consumer markets, with most of her time focusing on the Apparel and Footwear industry. She has a deep understanding of market trends and industry challenges and is able to come up with practical solutions to support the industry moving forward positively.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

To have a solid plan in impactful infrastructure to support a low carbon economy, incubate new local start-ups to fuel the change and scalable school-based sustainability education.

Kim has been setting the long-term climate strategy for H&M Group. He has a passion for transparency and communication, working against corporate greenwashing.

Kim is committed to work with people’s mindset and ambitions to steer decision making. Recently he moved to our production organization to set up our green investment organization and finance our suppliers transition away from fossil fuel.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

Hong Kong and the region around it really have the opportunity to show leadership through massive investments in renewables such as solar and wind and my hope would be that leadership is shown.

Mr Edwin Keh is the CEO of The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel. He also teaches supply chain operations in the Operations, Information and Decisions Department of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Edwin had a career as senior executive with several international consumer goods and retail companies. He was granted a number of awards, including the Medal of Honor in 2020 by the HKSAR Government for his research work during the pandemic, one of the best of Top 50 Innovative Retail Leaders by Inside Retail Hong Kong in 2019. Edwin holds multiple IPs which won global invention awards.

Cintia Nunes is the Director of The Mills Fabrica and focuses on leading the team to become the go-to platform for sustainability, impact and innovation in the techstyle (technology x lifestyle) and agrifood tech space via Fabrica’s investment portfolio, incubation programme, spaces and Fabrica’s environmental and social impact accountability.

Prior to joining Fabrica, Cintia worked in strategy, insights and marketing at a FMCG MNC where she focused on consumer behavioral assessment and formalizing business strategies for more than 10 brands. She then pivoted to a Series A apparel startup where she helped drive brand awareness, customer acquisition, retail and customer experience. Subsequently, she joined one of the social impact led platform where she helped to pivot their business model and soon became one of the prominent ecosystem system builders in Hong Kong through advocacy, bridging of resources and strategic partnerships.

With strong passion in driving social impact and systemic change, she is a strong advocate in cross-sector collaborations. She holds a BSc Economics degree from the University College London.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

More cross-sector collaborations and partnerships for greater synergy to realize systemic, sustainability goals.

Mr. Merlin Lao is Head of Policy & Research at BEC. He leads the team to share develop clear policy positions on pressing climate and environmental topics in Hong Kong, through undertaking research on latest domestic and international trends, engaging with the Hong Kong SAR Government and connecting insights of the local business sector.

Ir Professor Daniel M. Cheng BBS. MH, JP is the Managing Director of Dunwell Enviro-Tech (Holdings) Ltd., he is the Honorary President of Federation of Hong Kong Industries and the President of Hong Kong Environmental Industries Association, Board member of Business Environment Council and Deputy Chairman of Hong Kong Green Strategy Alliance. Prof Cheng is a Fellow of Hong Kong Institute of Engineers and also Registered Professional Engineer. For HKSAR Government, he is also serving as Member of The Chief Executive’s Council of Advisers on Innovation and Strategic Development, Member of the Committee on Innovation, Technology and Re-industrialisation, Member of Advisory Committee on Recycling Fund. Member of the Steering Committee on the Promotion of Electric Vehicles.

Prof Cheng was the member of Advisory Committee on Water Supplies (Yr 2016 – 2020), the Council Member of Hong Kong Trade Development Council (Yr 2013 – 2017), the member of Hong Kong Productivity Council (Yr 2009–2015) and Vocational Training Council (Yr 2011–2015), he was also the Chairman of Federation of Hong Kong Industries (Yr 2015– 2017) and Past Chairman of Hong Kong Waste Management Association (Yr 2000–2001).

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

We would like to bring up the awareness and actionable tasks for the public and business sectors to join hands for the sustainability of Hong Kong and GBA.

Maya de Souza is BITC’s Circular Economy Director, leading the organisation’s programme in this issue area, working with member companies on collaborative projects as well as on capacity building and influencing public policy. Prior to this, Maya was Head of Resource Efficiency & Waste Prevention Policy team at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in the UK government for several years leading on developing a new cross-sectoral policy programme, building resource efficiency into the Net Zero strategy, spearheading textiles and ecodesign/labelling policy, and representing the UK at various international forums. She has over 14 years of experience in environmental policy in government and headed the Policy & Research Team at the Business Environment Council, Hong Kong for 3 ½ years.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

I’d like to see Hong Kong continue to lead the way in high density energy efficient development which ensures a natural environment accessible to all, but now with more attention to reducing embodied carbon. I’d also like to see continuing work in reducing pollution from vehicles and shipping – HK has an exemplar record on public transport and was a first over on marine pollution. The next step is to take the lead in developing consumption and production patterns which lighten HK’s carbon and ecological footprint making full use of circular economy solutions and working with supply chains to do so.

An experienced editor and thought leadership content developer in a wide range of sustainability issues. I am constantly inspired by the resiliency of Mother Nature, and I am passionate about the synergy of human intelligence and nature-based solutions that contribute to human flourishing. I believe compassion, broad collaboration, and generous sharing of knowledge and resources are key to driving systems change.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

The sense of urgency and innovative solutions exist in Hong Kong when it comes to improving various UN SDG. To accelerate change, we need more broad, cross-sector collaboration and increased transparency and accountability across the government, the public, civil society, academia, the private sector etc.

In 2012, Peggy opened Grassroots Pantry (GP) in Hong Kong with a mission to raise awareness of the inequities in our food system and to share knowledge on the benefits of whole food plant-based cuisine. Through conducting Zero Foodprint’s life-cycle assessment, GP became carbon neutral in 2018 and its first sustainability report was recognized by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals ESCAP as a best practice case study on sustainable sourcing and responsible management.

Over the years Peggy has emerged as one of the region’s most authoritative voices on organic sourcing and systems thinking design. In 2020, Peggy developed Grassroots Initiatives Consultancy to assist foodservice professionals in their transition towards best practices that meet both human and planetary health goals. Last year, she launched Zero Foodprint Asia to rapidly mobilize research, education and funding from the food and hospitality sector for agricultural climate solutions.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

Less talking, less greenwashing. Real action, real changes.

Melanie is the Assistant General Manager (Sustainability) of Sino Group, she oversees a range of sustainability projects related to ESG Stakeholder, Stakeholder Engagement and Heritage Conservation. Being a specialist in the realm of Sustainable Development, 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 Postgraduate Degree in Sustainable Business from the University of Cambridge. She is also a certified Sustainable Tourism Professional by Global Sustainable Tourism Council.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

Joining hands with our stakeholders in creating better lifescapes.

Piyush Srivastava has over 20 years of experience in the consumer goods field in Asia and held numerous leadership roles in Pepsi and Pernod Ricard. He is deeply passionate about sustainability and spearheaded the partnership between Pernod Ricard and Eco Spirits with the aim to significantly reduce carbon footprint and accelerate the circular movement within the wine and spirits industry in Hong Kong and Singapore.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

I would personally like to see a vibrant F&B industry in Hong Kong that embraces ways to reduce their waste. For example, bars can reduce the number of glass bottles used by exploring bulk, refillable supply of liquor. I’d also like to see a Hong Kong that adapts more circularity in waste management.

Benjamin’s research is centred on the Circular Economy and waste recycling in China and Hong Kong. With about 10 years in the field, he worked in domains of Chinese household waste recycling, informal waste management, e-waste and waste plastics. Outside of academia Benjamin provided consulting services to the GIZ Germany and Presans France.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

Government support for CE business models beyond recycling; general plastic packaging container tax; EPR system for all recyclable waste fractions; taxation of resources, not of labour

Doris Lee is a Packaging Material Analyst. She specializes in Sustainable Packaging and is focusing on innovation, life cycle analyst and delivering compelling product across multiple retail and e-commerce channels. Doris holds an MSc of Environmental Management from The University of Hong Kong and is a Sustainable Packaging trainer.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

Education for Sustainability (EfS) – to develop students, schools and communities with the values and the motivation to take action for sustainability.

Venkatesh is a Packaging Professional and a Sustainability enthusiast with more than 15 years of experience in Foods, Beverages, Personal Care and Cosmetics Industry. As a passionate packaging R&D leader he has helped business transform and grow in changing consumer and environmental trends with help of Innovation, Design and Sustainable solutions. He holds more than 40 patents in packaging Inventions.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

A region evolving business with more circular economy solutions and more empowerment to help business, entrepreneurs to invest and adopt in sustainability solutions.

Susanna Wong is the CEO of YATA and the Director of Planning & Operations of the Non-property Businesses of Sun Hung Kai Properties. Prior to joining SHKP, Susanna had worked in strategic management consulting for over 13 years. She has been participating in Business Environment Council for 7 years and currently chairing the Climate Change Business Forum Advisory Group. Susanna is also a Board member of BEC.

My Sustainability Goals for 2022:

Waste reduction is probably the most burning sustainability issue for HK. Plastics representing more than 20% of solid waste, I would like to see step change in awareness and usage behavior of HK citizens in dealing with plastics