Redefining Value
Overview
Hong Kong has long been considered the connector between China and the rest of the world. This role will continue to be of critical importance in areas of sustainability-related policy and technological innovation, as developing countries in ASEAN and beyond embark on their sustainable development journeys and seek to learn from the successes and failures of their neighbouring economies such as China. How can Hong Kong best leverage its role as a bridge and an outbound and inbound connector to China to facilitate greater dialogue and learning? What new opportunities will this present to Hong Kong?
Learnings
- How can Hong Kong leverage its role to facilitate dialogue and cooperation between China and ASEAN region and other developing countries?
- What business opportunities will Hong Kong realise in its role as a connector?
- China’s 14th Five-Year Plan underscores a commitment to the “dual circulation” concept for economic development, driven by reform and innovation, led by quality supply and creating new demands, with the domestic market as the mainstay, while enabling domestic and foreign markets to interact positively with each other. How can Hong Kong fulfil its responsibility to proactively become a “participant” in domestic circulation and a “facilitator” of international circulation in the “dual circulation” development strategy?
- With the arrival of the Common Ground Taxonomy (an in-depth comparison exercise that puts forward areas of commonality and differences between the EU and China’s green taxonomies), what other opportunities and challenges do you foresee in Hong Kong’s push for different frameworks of collaboration and sustainability dialogue between China, ASEAN and beyond?
Post Event Actions
- Consider Hong Kong’s role and the business opportunities for the city in advancing sustainability dialogue and cooperation on the international stage.
- Rethink and reimagine current modes of collaboration to establish new frameworks of cooperation in various industries.
- Gain deeper understanding of China’s development experience and identify opportunities to apply such learnings in Hong Kong and beyond.
Speakers
MODERATOR
Walter van Hattum
Head of Trade and Economic
EU Office to Hong Kong and Macao
Walter van Hattum
Head of Trade and Economic
EU Office to Hong Kong and Macao
My career combines commercial with sustainability policies. I worked for the ILO in Nigeria; the Dutch MFA and for the EU on nuclear fusion, humanitarian aid and health policies. Recent postings include Indonesia and the Philippines, where I served as head of the trade section of the EU Delegation, following which I was responsible for leveraging EU’s trade (preferences) for improving labour, human rights and environmental standards. In January 2021, I was appointed head of the trade section of the EU office to Hong Kong and Macao.
My Sustainability Goals for 2022:
Awareness, ambition, cooperation
Tristan Ace
Chief Programme Officer
AVPN
Tristan Ace
Chief Programme Officer
AVPN
Tristan leads AVPN’s portfolio of programmes, which include Policy, Climate Action and Gender Equality and aim to mobilise greater amounts of capital more strategically to address these critical issues right across the Asia Pacific region. He also regularly teaches and guest lectures on social entrepreneurship and social innovation in the Asia Pacific region and is an honorary lecturer at the University of Hong Kong. He has more than 18 years’ experience working in more than 20 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and for the past 11 years in the Asia Pacific region.
My Sustainability Goals for 2022:
I would like to see Hong Kong strengthen its role as a global centre of Sustainable Finance.
Matt Ashworth
Commercial Counsellor, Energy & Infrastructure
Department for International Trade, British Embassy
Matt Ashworth
Commercial Counsellor, Energy & Infrastructure
Department for International Trade, British Embassy
Matt runs the Energy & Infrastructure teams for the Department of International Trade in China, based in the British Embassy Beijing. His team helps Chinese companies to invest in energy & infrastructure projects in the UK, and support UK companies to access export opportunities with Chinese customers in China and third markets. Matt has a degree in History from Oxford University and an MA in International Relations from the University of Birmingham. He has experience in trade & investment policy, including investment in the energy sector. His career has seen him working in London, Sydney, Brussels and Bucharest. Matt joined the UK Civil Service in 2014, following work in the private sector, and has worked in a number of Government Departments in London. Prior to moving to China, he was based in the Department for International Trade in London, where he led work on investment policy development and multilateral engagement with bodies such as the UN, WTO and OECD.
Mark Lam
Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Sustainability
Hongkong Land Limited
Mark Lam
Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Sustainability
Hongkong Land Limited
Mark Lam is the Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Sustainability. He is responsible for managing the Group’s relationships with stakeholders across the investment community, as well as the development and implementation of the Group’s sustainability strategy.
Prior to his current role, Mr Lam served as a Senior Corporate Finance Manager, where he supported the development of Group-wide strategies, including investment evaluations and board reporting. Before joining Hongkong Land, he was a Director at KPMG’s Deal Advisory practice, advising investors on cross-border transactions across the region.
Mr Lam is a member of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from the University of British Columbia.
My Sustainability Goals for 2022:
Acceleration of efforts by the real estate community to aggressively retrofit existing buildings, a vast majority of which will remain in operation well into the 2030s.
Christine Loh
Chief Development Strategist, Institute for the Environment
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Christine Loh
Chief Development Strategist, Institute for the Environment
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Christine Loh was the Undersecretary for the Environment in the HKSAR Government and well-known for her policy work. Since leaving government, she is teaching and writing. She sits on numerous boards internationally, and is advisor to HKSTP, Teneo, and BASF. She is a published author of many academic and popular works.
My Sustainability Goals for 2022:
That interest in sustainability will blossom and more organisations in HK will embark on a positive path in 2022.
With thanks to
