The Vital Role of Food Systems in Sustainability

Andy Cornish grew up in Hong Kong, and completed a Ph.D on reef fishes at The University of Hong Kong in 2000. He spent 16 years working for the world’s largest conservation organisation WWF, first as the Conservation Director for WWF-Hong Kong, and then as the leader for a global marine conservation program for WWF International.
He subsequently founded Cornerstone Strategies, a boutique consultancy that provides tailored strategic planning support to charities, foundations and corporations in Asia Pacific and beyond. Andy has extensive experience in strategic planning, fundraising, people development, communications and building collaborations, and a firmly results-driven approach.
His food-related experience includes working as the technical advisor for the Hong Kong Sustainable Seafood Coalition and co-authoring two WWF Hong Kong Ecological Footprint Reports

My Sustainability Goals for 2025:

• The Government provides increased policy and other support for sustainable food
• Corporate interest in sourcing sustainable seafood increases to pre-pandemic levels, and goes mainstream

I was born in 1963 and lived in Italy then the UK until I was 8-year-old when my parent moved back to France, I studied in Paris and graduated in Architecture in 1987. My first professional experiences were in London then Paris. In 1996 I passed an M.Phil. in Architectural History and soon after I moved to HK where I taught architecture at the Chinese University Department of Architecture. From 1998 to 2019 I have been involved in a wide range of architectural projects locally and abroad. Parallel to this I have been studying and documenting the biology of the local bees and wasps, publishing over 20 scientific papers on the subject. I started R-Farm HK, a regenerative organic farm out of Kam Tin in 2021, with the aim to supply through Community Supported Agriculture local families with high quality nutritious vegetables devoid of any chemical agents and, in addition to this I set aside 10% of my production supplying vegetables to charities.

My Sustainability Goals for 2025:

1. Increase the awareness of the need of farms and farmers with government departments
2. Decrease our dependency on imported farm products (vegetables)
3. Increase biodiversity

With over seven years of experience in customer experience and sustainability at Compass Group, Gigi Lau is a dynamic professional dedicated to transforming the corporate catering landscape. As the Customer Experience & Sustainability Director, she leads a team that collaborates with culinary experts, nutritionists, and suppliers to create engaging workplace and school dining solutions.

Her expertise in promotional strategies, vendor engagements, and project management ensures that catering services align with eco-conscious goals. Passionate about reducing waste and enhancing customer experiences, Gigi aims to inspire organizations to adopt sustainable practices that are adaptable in practical forms.

My Sustainability Goals for 2025:

1. Increase awareness of food waste issues in HK, and more household waste solutions
2. Driving a greener diet across different ages; promote plant-forward diet