Retrofitting the Vertical City: Can Existing Buildings be Transformed Fast Enough to Meet Climate Targets?

Based in Shanghai, Jing Wang serves as Vice President for North Asia at USGBC and GBCI, the organizations that developed and administer LEED, one of the world’s leading green building rating systems. She works with industry leaders, developers, investors and public-sector organizations across North Asia to advance sustainable buildings and accelerate market transformation. A frequent speaker at regional industry forums, Jing shares insights on sustainable development, green building and market transformation, and is committed to fostering collaboration across the built environment.

Prior to joining USGBC and GBCI, Jing led the Marketing & Communications function at CBRE China, a leading global real estate services firm. She also held regional marketing roles with Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Singapore and China before the company became part of Marriott International.

Jing holds an MBA from the University of Manchester and is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

Mr. C.M. Chan is a Senior Building Services Engineer in the Hong Kong Housing Authority with 30 years’ experience in the building services engineering sector. Mr. Chan has participated in the design and construction of a number of new public housing development projects in early years.

Now, he is working for the Estate Management Division of the Housing Department responsible for the energy management for the existing public rental housing estates. With the concerted effort, the electricity consumption at the communal areas of the public rental housing blocks has recorded a significant decrease of 19% since 2015

Ar Donald Choi is a Registered Architect and Authorized Person. He joined the Urban Renewal Authority on 15 June 2025 as Managing Director and Deputy Chairman. He has over 40 years of management experience across real estate investment, property development, and worked as a professional architect globally. Ar Choi believes in the power of people-centric development and humane design to create economic value and enhance the quality of life for all.

Ar Choi served as the CEO of Chinachem Group from 2018 to August 2024 before his retirement. Prior to this, he was the Managing Director of the Nan Fung Group and a Director at Foster + Partners. He was the Authorized Person for the CLK HK International Airport, voted one of the Top 10 construction projects of the 20th Century. Ar Choi was awarded the Executive of the Year Award 2021 by DHL-SCMP and won the CEO of the Year Award 2022 given by Real Estate Asia.

Alongside his professional career, Ar Choi has held multiple leadership roles in NGOs and professional bodies that focus on design, innovation, shared value creation, and the community well-being, making him a leading figure in the architecture and development sector. He is currently a Trustee of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), an Adjunct Professor at both the University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Professor of Practice at the School of Design. Ar Choi is a Member of the Corruption Prevention Advisory Committee, an Advisor of Our Hong Kong Foundation, Urban Land Institute Asia Pacific Housing Council Member, a Member of the Antiquities Advisory Board, a Member of the Hospital Governing Committee (HGC) of Hong Kong Eye Hospital & Kowloon Hospital and the Chairman of Sub-committee on Capital Works of the HGC of North District Hospital, an Honorary Advisor of Hong Kong Workers’ Health Centre, and a Member of the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee. He was the Board Vice President of the Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong, Honorary Advisor of the Hong Kong PropTech Association, a Member of the Council for Carbon Neutrality and Sustainable Development, Advisory Committee Member of the HKTDC Infrastructure Development, Advisory Committee Member of PolyU Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation, Member of the HKU Campus Development and Planning Committee, Land and Development Advisory Committee, Chairman of Architects Registration Board,  Past President of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, the Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design and the Hong Kong Institute of Real Estate Administrators. He had served as the Chairperson of the Construction Innovation and Technology Application Centre for six years and was a Board Member of Business Environment Council, Habitat of Humanity Hong Kong, Hong Kong Green Building Council, Hong Kong Design Centre and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation.

Ar Choi holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Architecture from RISD, a Bachelor of Science from the University of British Columbia, and a Master of Arts from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Additionally, he attained a joint Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Hong Kong, London Business School, and Columbia Business School.

Yasushi Kinoshita, Esq., FRICS, is Representative Member of Eminence Partners, an independent real estate investment advisory firm, and Chairperson of Green Building Japan, a not-for-profit organization advancing sustainability in Japan’s built environment. He serves on the Governance Council of the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), co-chairs IWBI’s Investing for Health Advisory, and is a Commissioner of the Global Commission on Healthy Indoor Air. With nearly four decades of experience in real estate investment, structured finance, and ESG, he has held senior roles at SBI Shinsei Bank, Touchstone Capital Management, and Secured Capital Japan (a.k.a. PAG Investment Management). He also serves on the Executive Committee of ULI Japan and is Co-Chair of the Asian Chapter of The Counselors of Real Estate (CRE).

Grace is the Chairman and Executive Director of Allied Sustainability and Environmental Consultants Group. She currently serves as Chairman of the Environmental Campaign Committee, member of the Advisory Council on the Environment and the Energy Advisory Committee. Grace contributes to various professional bodies, including HKIQEP, HKGFA, GRESB, USGBC, CRREM and IWBI. She is a Board Director of HKGBC and WorldGBC. Her accolades include HKMA Sustainability Leader of the Year 2021, APEC Bio-Circular-Green Award 2023, WorldGBC Asia Pacific Leadership in Green Building Awards 2024 – Women in Green Building Leadership, Kate Hurst USGBC Leadership Award 2025, 2025 IWBI WELL Executive Award and EY EWW Asia-Pacific Class of 2026.

Grace has been involved in many green building and sustainable design projects in Hong Kong, Mainland China and across Asia-Pacific, acquiring vast professional experiences and regional insights. With a background in environmental engineering, she is a keen advocate for regenerative sustainability. Driven by a vision to shape a sustainable future for all, Grace facilitates collaboration through her work with environmental, building and construction, and finance sectors to build climate resilience and accelerate net-zero transition. With AEC Group’s expanding operations in South East Asia and Middle East, Grace is utilizing her experiences in bridging finance and sustainability through her extensive network to create impact at scale and drive transformative change.