MoU Signature Ceremony on Building Sector Decarbonation between HKUST and the French Team consisting of Schneider Electric, Veolia, Bouygues Dragages, Saint-Gobain and Egis

Jonathan Chiu is President of Schneider Electric Hong Kong. He currently heads the company’s Management Committee responsible for overseeing the strategic direction, operational delivery and business development for Schneider Electric in Hong Kong and Macau.

Since joining Schneider Electric two decades ago, Jonathan has held leadership roles in various business divisions within the organization. An experienced leader in energy management and automation, Jonathan is passionate about leveraging the power of digitization and innovation in delivering a holistic ecosystem approach to sustainable transformation. His years of experience in process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software and services have been instrumental in elevating Schneider Electric’s reach and impact for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries in Hong Kong.

Jonathan currently serves on the Board of Directors at the Business Environment Council, and was named Sustainability Leader of the Year at the HKMA Hong Kong Sustainability Award 2023.

He holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Hong Kong, an MBA from the City University of Hong Kong, and an MBA from Kellogg-HKUST Executive MBA Program.

Pascaline Hayoun is the CEO of Saint-Gobain Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan leading the local entity, with also some activities in South China. With five plants and a team of over 200 employees, she is responsible for driving the expansion and growth of the company in the region. This includes managing a diverse portfolio of construction products, such as plaster & fiber cement board, insulation, glass façade, and construction chemicals including notably mortar, waterproofing, concrete admixture and cement additive.

Prior to her current role, Pascaline held the position of Director of Strategy & Sustainability Worldwide for Saint-Gobain Surface Solutions. She worked on various strategic initiatives, including corporate business strategy and planning, mergers and acquisitions, sustainability, innovation, product compliance, and the global “electric vehicle” program for the entire Saint-Gobain group.

Pascaline has extensive experience in R&D and innovation within the Saint-Gobain group. She held leadership positions at CertainTeed in the United States and in Life Sciences Business in France, overseeing product development, process improvement, cost reduction initiatives, and creation of production lines and factories.

Pascaline holds a PhD in Material Physics & Chemistry from Sorbonne University, as well as Masters in Materials Science and Engineering from ESPCI Paris-PSL. She also completed an executive Master of Business Administration from the Smeal College of Business at Penn State University. Pascaline has received numerous honors and awards for her contributions, the latest one being the 2023 Women in Industry Award for Sustainability by Usine Nouvelle.

Outside of her career, Pascaline acts as a French Foreign Trade Advisors for Hong Kong and actively promotes Science and inspires girls in STEM. She serves as Ambassador for Girls in Science for the Fondation L’Oréal, co-founded an agricultural greenhouse, and believes in diversity and positive change. Her motto: Believe in the impossible and be the change.

After a few years in a Consulting Firm that brought him to different continents, Laurent Pelletier joined Veolia twenty years ago and has not quit Asia ever since.

He started in Shanghai in the water business, taking different positions in Pudong Veolia Water, acting at the end as a COO.

In 2010, Laurent moved to Hong Kong to take the position of CTO for Asia and support our operations and fast growth in the region.

In 2019, he took over the responsibility of Veolia Hong Kong and diversified Veolia’s portfolio of activities there, not only focusing on waste management but also energy optimization for buildings. In 2024, Macau and Taiwan are added to his responsibilities.

Professor Kar Yan TAM, BS, MS, PhD, MH, JP

Prof Kar Yan Tam is currently Vice-President for Administration and Business and Chair Professor of Information Systems, Business Statistics and Operations Management at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). He received his PhD from Purdue University and started off his academic career at the University of Texas (Austin). He joined HKUST in 1992 as a founding member of the Business School, where he served as Associate Dean from 1999-2006 and Associate Vice-President of the Provost Office from 2005-2007. He was appointed founding Dean of Undergraduate Education in 2007, was the Associate Provost and Dean of Students from 2011-2016 and was Dean of the Business School from 2016 – 2024.

As a researcher, Prof Tam is well known for his contributions in fintech and the diffusion of innovations in organizations. His earlier work on machine learning applications in finance and investment is regarded as pioneer research in Fintech. According to Google Scholar, his publications received over 23,000 citations. Prof Tam is currently serving on the editorial board of a number of academic journals.

Beyond HKUST, Prof. Tam actively engages in public service and possesses extensive networks within the business and academic communities, holding key roles in the Hong Kong government, local organizations and global business education institutions. Prof. Tam is currently the Chairperson of the Hong Kong Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation of the HKSAR and a member of the Exchange Fund Advisory Committee of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. Internationally, Prof. Tam serves on the Board of the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD). He was also the Chairperson of the Curriculum Development Council and a member of Education Commission of the Education Bureau.

My Sustainability Goals for 2025:

1. Growing spirit of collaboration and willingness to experiment, especially across sectors. Sharing resources, skills, and experiences – this intangible exchange is the fuel for step-change innovation.
2. Hong Kong’s growing position as an academic and entrepreneurship hub where climate technology comes to set down roots to expand into Asia. Universities are uniquely positioned to serve as a fertile soil to germinate these early stage pilots.

Dr. James Xiong is the Managing Director, HK & Macau with Egis Group. He has nearly 30 years of academic and practical experience in decarbonization, sustainability, environmental studies. He has worked in various environmental organizations nationally and internationally.

James is passionate about advancing the environmental and sustainable agendas in the industry, as evidenced by his involvement in various professional committees, councils, and associations related to water pollution control, green labelling, green building, soil and groundwater environment. James is a graduate of Environmental Engineer in Tsinghua University and got his PhD in Oceanography and environmental Science from University of Southampton, UK.