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

Dr. Anson Au Yeung is the Assistant Dean (Undergraduate Studies) at CUHK Business School and Programme Director of Asian Business Studies (ABS) and International Business & Chinese Enterprise (IBCE). He develops experiential learning opportunities for students from Hong Kong, Mainland China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam — connecting them with social startups, MNCs, fintech innovators, and sustainability-driven enterprises. At CUHK, he has promoted internationalization by establishing the Asian Business Education Network (ABEN), a partnership with leading universities focused on exchange and collaborative teaching. He is committed to shaping next-generation leaders through case-based learning, consultancy, and industry collaboration.

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 2025:

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 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 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 is a faculty in The Division of Environment at The Hong Kong Univeristy of Science and Technology (HKUST) and the academic lead of the HKUST Life Cycle Lab. Her research interests focus on environmental assessment of systems & products and consumption behaviours with focus on of circular systems. 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 across 8 campuses of the Hong Kong Sustainable Campus Consortium.

My Sustainability Goals for 2025:

1. Enhance people’s awareness about life cycle impacts and emissions that happen up and downstream of the products we buy.
2. Open people’s minds about the beauty and utility of circular systems and efficient resource use.
   Inspire people to test out new things and critically question how we can do better in handling human impacts on the environment.