The Forum is organised by the Council of the Hong
Kong Laureate Forum, a non-profit making organisation formed by distinguished personalities and academics of
Hong Kong, with the full support of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The Forum
is also supported by the Programme Steering Committee (PSC) which is formed by acclaimed personalities from
academic and educational sectors in Hong Kong. Advisors in our PSC give their expertise on scientific
contents and event engagement to further enrich the contents of the programmes and connection with targeted
youths in different sectors.
Chairman
Timothy W Tong has over 30 years of teaching, research and
administrative experience in universities in the United States and Hong Kong. Prior to taking the
office as president of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University from 2009 to 2018, he was a professor
and dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the George Washington University. Tong
is now CEO of AMTD Foundation, which is a charity organisation created to assist AMTD Group Company
Limited to fulfill its corporate social responsibility. Being an expert in the field of heat
transfer, Tong is dedicated to addressing issues concerning energy use and sustainable development.
He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering
Sciences (HKAES) and the International Thermal Conductivity Conference. In 2018, he served as
president of HKAES.
Tong’s public engagement in Hong Kong includes serving as chairman of
the Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations of the Independent Commission Against
Corruption (ICAC) and as member of the Advisory Committee on Corruption of the ICAC, and the InnoHK
Steering Committee. Additionally, he has been appointed a Non-official Justice of the Peace and a
member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference since 2010 and 2013 respectively.
Tong was born and raised in Hong Kong. After completing his secondary
education, he pursued further studies in the United States, where he received his BS degree in
Mechanical Engineering from Oregon State University in 1976, and his MS and PhD degrees in the same
discipline from the University of California at Berkeley in 1978 and 1980 respectively.
Members
(representing The Shaw Prize Foundation)
Born and educated in Hong Kong, Dr Raymond Chan continued his studies in
the United Kingdom gaining BA (Hons) and B Arch (Hons) and became a Member of the Royal Institute of
British Architects, the Architects Registration Board and the Hong Kong Institute of Architects.
He is a Member of the Board of Trustees of Shaw College, the Chinese
University of Hong Kong. From 2003 to 2016 he served as a Committee Member on the Hospital Governing
Committee (Tseung Kwan O).
Dr Chan joined the Shaw Group in January 1994 and in December 2017, he
assumed the role of Managing Director of the Shaw Group of Companies, totalling fifty-four, situated
locally and overseas. He was at the same time appointed Chair of The Shaw Foundation Hong Kong and The Shaw Prize Foundation.
Since 2012, he has been a Member on the Board of Advisers of Mr Run Run Shaw
Charitable Trust.
Professor Nancy Ip is the President of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and the Morningside Professor of Life Science. Taking office in October 2022, she is the first female president of a publicly funded university in Hong Kong.
Ip received her PhD degree in Pharmacology from Harvard University, after which she held the position of Senior Staff Scientist at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. in New York. Since joining HKUST in 1993, she has held several key positions including Vice-President for Research and Development, Dean of Science, and Head of the Department of Biochemistry.
Ip is world-renowned for her significant contributions to the field of neuroscience. Her major research interests are in understanding the complex mechanisms that underlie proper brain functions, as well as drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Her outstanding research has resulted in 347 scientific papers and holds 101 patents. A distinguished neuroscientist, Ip was elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the US National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the World Academy of Sciences, and the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences. Additionally, she has received numerous awards and honours including the National Natural Science Awards, the L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Award, and being named one of the 10 Science Stars of China by Nature.
Ip plays a significant role in shaping research policy on a global scale. She is currently a member of the Leadership Group of the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative and the World Dementia Council. Additionally, Ip has been invited to serve on various councils of the World Economic Forum focused on brain science and precision medicine. She has been a member of the Global Agenda Council on Neuroscience and Behaviour, the Global Future Council on the Future of Neurotechnologies and Brain Science, and the Precision Medicine Global Council. She is also the chair of the Association of East Asian Research Universities, and a member of the steering committee of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities.
Ip plays a key role in steering science and technology in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. She currently serves as a member of the Chief Executive’s Council of Advisers and the Committee on Innovation, Technology and Industry Development. A strong advocate for global collaboration and exchange among scientists, Ip has also been instrumental in strengthening Hong Kong’s position as an international centre for innovation and technology. She was a key driver in establishing the Greater Bay Area Association of Academicians and the International Alliance of Academicians, serving as the founding council chair and the founding chair, respectively.
Prof Irwin King is Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he is also a Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, and Director of the eLearning Innovation and Technology (ELITE) Centre. Across these roles, he works at the intersection of research, education, and leadership—shaping how universities think about learning, technology, and the human side of artificial intelligence.
His academic journey commenced with studying Engineering and Applied Science at the California Institute of Technology. Subsequently, he completed his Master’s and PhD in Computer Science at the University of Southern California. These years provided a robust technical foundation, but they also ignited a profound curiosity about the interaction between intelligent systems and people, communities, and society. Over time, this curiosity transcended the confines of the classroom and laboratory. During a sabbatical, he collaborated with AT&T Labs Research on challenges related to big data. Later, he served as a Visiting Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where he engaged in teaching and exchanging ideas with students and colleagues from diverse disciplines.
Prof King’s research focuses on machine learning, social computing, trustworthy AI, and data mining. His work has been widely published in leading international conferences and journals, and many of his ideas have continued to influence the field long after their initial publication. This long-term impact is reflected in multiple Test of Time Awards from major ACM conferences, as well as the Dennis Gabor Award from the International Neural Network Society for his pioneering contributions to machine learning in social computing.
Beyond research, Prof King is deeply committed to service and community building. He is a Fellow of ACM, IEEE, AAAI, INNS, and the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, and has taken on major leadership roles, including serving as President of the International Neural Network Society and as General Co-Chair of top international conferences. These roles reflect not only academic distinction, but also a belief in giving back to the global research community.
At heart, Prof King is an educator. He is passionate about mentoring young scientists, nurturing talent, and creating platforms where ideas can flow across generations and cultures. Initiatives like the Hong Kong Laureate Forum resonate strongly with him because they bring together excellence, curiosity, and human connection—and, as he often reminds his students, the best ideas usually start with good conversations.
Mr Fan Hung Ling, Henry has over 30 years’ experience in business
management. He was the managing director of CITIC Pacific Limited (now known as CITIC Limited) and
Deputy Chairman of the Cathay Pacific Limited. Currently, he is an independent non-executive
director of Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited and HKR International Limited. He is also the Managing
Director of Hong Kong Glory Limited and Chairman of the Fan Family Charitable Trust, a family
investment company and charitable foundation respectively.
Mr Fan has a long record of public service in Hong Kong. Currently he is the Chairman of Hospital Authority and the Chairman of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Foundation. He is also a member of the President’s Council on International Activities of Yale University.
Mr Fan graduated from the University of Hong Kong with an honours degree
in Economics and Business Management. He was called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn, England and was
also admitted to the Bar in Hong Kong where he practised. He also holds a Bachelor of Laws degree
from the University of Beijing and is also an Attorney-at-Law of California, USA.
Dr Victor Fung is Group Chairman of the Fung Group, a Hong Kong-based
multinational group which comprises major operating groups engaging in sourcing, logistics,
distribution and retailing. They include publicly-listed Li & Fung Limited, Global Brands Group
Holding Limited, Convenience Retail Asia Limited and other privately held entities. Dr Fung played a
leading role in driving the development of the supply chain infrastructure at Li & Fung Limited,
which has enabled it to become the leading consumer goods design, development, sourcing, and
logistics company for major retailers and brands around the world.
Dr Fung holds independent non-executive Directorships with Chow Tai Fook
Jewellery Group Limited (Hong Kong) and Koc Holding A.S. (Turkey).
Dr Fung is Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Asia Global Institute
at the University of Hong Kong, a multi-disciplinary think-tank co-established with the Fung Global
Institute to assume and carry forward the Fung Global Institute’s mission to generate and
disseminate research and ideas on global issues from Asian perspectives. He is also Chairman of the
2022 Foundation, a non-profit entity focused on research into Hong Kong’s long-term competitiveness.
Also in Hong Kong, Dr Fung is a Non-official Member of Chief Executive’s
Council of Advisers on Innovation and Strategic Development, an Adviser of the Infrastructure
Financing Facilitation Office of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. He is a former Chairman of the
Hong Kong Trade Development Council (1991-2000), a Hong Kong representative on the APEC Business
Advisory Council (1996-2003), Chairman of the Airport Authority Hong Kong (1999- 2008), Chairman of
the Council of the University of Hong Kong (2001-2009), Chairman of the Greater Pearl River Delta
Business Council (2004-2013) and Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Hong Kong Scholarship for
Excellence Scheme (2014-2018).
On the Chinese Mainland, he is a member of the International Business
Leaders Advisory Council for the Mayor of Beijing, member of the Advisory Board of the School of
Economics and Management of Tsinghua University, an Honorary Trustee of Peking University and an
Honorary Professor of Renmin University. He is a former member of the Chinese People’s Political
Consultative Conference (2003-2018), Vice-Chairman of the China Centre for International Economic
Exchanges (2009-2014).
Internationally, Dr Fung played a leadership role from 2007 in the
Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce, of which he was Chairman from 2008 to 2010. From 2012
to 2013, he was a member of the World Trade Organisation’s Panel On Defining The Future of Trade.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Dr Fung holds Bachelor and Master Degrees
in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After gaining his
Doctorate in Business Economics from Harvard University, he taught as a professor at Harvard
Business School before returning to the family business in Hong Kong in 1976.
Dr Fung is married with three adult children.
Dr Fung is an international business leader, thought leader and
philanthropist, who holds professional and civic appointments in Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and
overseas.
(representing the principal sponsor Lee
Shau Kee Foundation)
Dr Colin LAM Ko-yin is the chairman of the Hong Kong Ferry (Holdings) Co Ltd, the vice chairman of Henderson Land Development Co Ltd, a non-executive director of The Hong Kong and China Gas Co Ltd, and an executive director of Miramar Hotel and Investment Co, Ltd. Dr Lam has over 50 years’ experience in the commercial sector of Hong Kong.
Dr Lam was awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star (GBS) and the Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS) by the Government of the HKSAR in 2025 and 2017, respectively. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and a fellow of The Hong Kong Institute of Directors, a director of the Union Medical Centre and a director of the Hong Kong Housing Settlers Corporation Ltd. He is also an honorary fellow of The University of Hong Kong and the deputy chairman of its Foundation for Educational Development and Research, the chairman of Chi Wah Foundation Ltd, an honorary trustee of Peking University, a director of the Education Development Foundation of Fudan University, a visiting professor of the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University and a director of its Education Development Foundation, a director of the Lee Shau Kee Foundation Ltd, and a council member and a standing committee member of the Pei Hua Education Foundation.
(representing the principal
sponsor Lee Shau Kee Foundation)
Dr Martin Lee Ka Shing is a Committee Member of the 13th Beijing Municipal Committee of
the CPPCC in the People’s Republic of China, a member of the Election Council for Deputies of the
HKSAR to the 13th National People’s Congress. Dr Lee was also appointed a Justice of the
Peace by the HKSAR Government in 2017, an Honorary Director by Peking University in 2008, a Court
Member of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2014, and a member of the Council of the City
University of Hong Kong in 2019.
Dr Lee is the youngest son of Dr Lee Shau Kee, founder of Henderson Land Group, and is a director of
the Lee Shau Kee Foundation.
Dr Lee is the Chairman of Henderson Land Group. He is also the Chairman of Henderson Investment Ltd,
the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Miramar Hotel and Investment Co, Ltd, and the Chairman
of the Hong Kong and China Gas Co Ltd.
Prof Dennis Lo is the Li Ka Shing Professor of Medicine of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the President of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences. His research interests focus on the biology and diagnostic applications of cell-free nucleic acids in plasma. In particular, he discovered the presence of cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma in 1997 and has since then been pioneering non-invasive prenatal diagnosis using this technology. This technology has been adopted globally and has created a paradigm in prenatal medicine. He has also made many innovations using circulating nucleic acids for cancer detection, including the screening of early stage nasopharyngeal cancer.
In recognition of his research, Prof Lo has been elected as Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Founding Member of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, Fellow of the Royal Society and Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences. Prof Lo has won numerous awards, including the 2014 King Faisal International Prize in Medicine, the 2016 Future Science Prize in Life Science, the 2019 Fudan-Zhongzhi Science Award, the 2021 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, the 2021 Royal Medal, the 2021 ESHG Mendel Award, the 2022 ISPD Pioneer Award, the 2022 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, the 2023 inaugural Tengchong Science Prize and the 2024 Jiménez Díaz Lecture Award.
Mr Tim Lui is Chairman of Securities and Futures Commission and the University Grants Committee. He is also a Director of the Hong Kong Academy of Finance; a member of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s Exchange Fund Advisory Committee and Banking Advisory Committee; and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited’s Listing Nominating Committee.
Mr Lui is a Fellow Member of The Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA) and a Member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He was elected President of HKICPA in 1997.
Mr Lui joined PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 1978. During his career at PwC, he served as the Senior Tax Partner, Lead Director of the Board of Partners and a member of the Global Board. He retired as a Senior Advisor of PwC in 2018.
Mr Lui has been active in public and community service. In the past, he was Chairman of the Education Commission, the Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education, the Joint Committee on Student Finance, the Standing Commission on Directorate Salaries and Conditions of Service as well as the Employees’ Compensation Insurance Levies Management Board and a member of the Public Service Commission.
Prof Anderson Ho Cheung Shum will assume the position of Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) of The University of Hong Kong, and currently serves as Chair Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at the City University of Hong Kong. He is also the Founding Director and Co-Director of the Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, President of the Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences, Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance of Technology and Innovation, and Vice President of the Hong Kong Institution of Science.
He received his Ph.D. and S.M. degrees in Applied Physics from Harvard University and his B.S.E. degree (summa cum laude) in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University. His research interests include aqueous two-phase systems, emulsions, biomicrofluidics, biomedical engineering, coacervates and soft matter.
Prof Shum has received numerous awards, including the Lab on a Chip & Aline Pioneers of Miniaturisation Lectureship (2025), the Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Prize from the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE, 2024), the RGC Senior Research Fellow Scheme (SRFS, 2024), and the Croucher Senior Research Fellowship (2020). He has been elected a member of Global Young Academy from Hong Kong (2021), as a Young Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering (2024), and as Fellows of several international professional socities. His team has also won multiple international invention awards, including Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (2026) and the Grand Prize at the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival (2025).
Prof Shum has been appointed by the Hong Kong SAR Government as a member of the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit Expert Group on Research Strategy, a non-official member of the Innovation, Technology and Industry Development Committee, and a member of the STEAM Education Standing Committee under the Curriculum Development Council.
Dr Carlson Tong has been active in public and community services and is
the current board member of the Hong Kong Airport Authority.
Other current appointments:
- Member, Judicial Officers Recommendation
Commission - Member, Human Resources Planning Commission
- Chairman, Independent Commission on Remuneration
for Members of the Executive Council and the Legislature, and Officials under the
Political Appointment System of the HKSAR - Board member of the Hong Kong Academy of Finance
Past appointments:
- Chairman, University Grants Committee (2016-2022)
- Chairman, English Schools Foundation (2011-2015)
- Chairman, Hong Kong Sports Institute (2012-2017)
- Chairman, Employees’ Compensation Insurance Levies
Management Board (2007- 2013) - Chairman of the Main Board and GEM Listing
Committee of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Ltd (2006-2008) and member of the Listing Committee
(2002-2006) - Member of the Hong Kong Exchange Fund Advisory
Committee (2011–2020) - Vice President (2006) and Council Member of the
Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (2001-2008) - Hon Treasurer (2001-2003) and Vice Chairman
(2003-2007), Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra Limited
Dr Tong served as the Chairman of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures
Commission (“SFC”) from 20 October 2012 to 19 October 2018. Since his retirement from the SFC, he
has been appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Standard Chartered PLC. He was also
the Chairman of KPMG in China and Hong Kong from 2007 to 2011 and the Chairman of the Asia Pacific
region and a member of the global board from 2009 to 2011.
Prof the Hon Tsui Lap-Chee obtained his Bachelor and Master degrees in
Biology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and his PhD in Biological Sciences from the
University of Pittsburgh in 1979.
Prof Tsui received international acclaim in 1989 when he identified the
defective gene that causes cystic fibrosis, which is a major breakthrough in human genetics. He has
also made significant contributions to the study of the human genome, especially the
characterization of chromosome 7, and identification of additional disease genes. His work paved the
Human Genome Project and the HapMap Project. Prof Tsui has over 300 peer-reviewed scientific
publications and 65 invited book chapters. He has served on the editorial boards of 24 international
peer-reviewed scientific journals, numerous scientific review panels, and many national and
international advisory committees.
Prof Tsui has also made great contribution to university education.
During his tenure as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) from 2002 to 2014, he
led the University through a series of unprecedented governance and management reforms, human
resource reforms, and strategic developments in research, teaching and learning, and knowledge
exchange with society. Prof Tsui worked tirelessly to enlist support for HKU from University members
and friends, and encourage philanthropy for higher education in the community. He also provided his
expertise to the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong for many years.
Prior to his appointment at HKU, Prof Tsui was Geneticist-in-Chief and
Head of the Genetics and Genomic Biology Program of the Research Institute at the Hospital for Sick
Children in Toronto. He was also the holder of the H E Sellers Chair in Cystic Fibrosis and
University Professor at the University of Toronto.
Prof Tsui is the recipient of many national and international awards,
including the 2018 Warren Alpert Foundation Prize. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada,
Royal Society of London and Academia Sinica. He is also an Associate Member of the National Academy
of Sciences (USA), a Foreign Member of Chinese Academy of Sciences and a Canadian Medical Hall of
Fame Laureate. His other awards include 16 honorary doctoral degrees from prestigious universities
around the world, the Orders of Canada and Ontario and Knighthood of the Légion d’Honneur of France.
Prof Tsui was appointed Justice of the Peace in 2006, and was awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star and the Grand Bauhinia Medal by the Government of the HKSAR in 2011 and 2016 respectively.
Prof Tsui, world-renowned molecular biologist, is currently President of the
Victor and William Fung Foundation, Director of Qiushi Academy for
Advanced Studies and Master of the Residential College of International
Campus of Zhejiang University, and Founding Member of the Academy of
Sciences of Hong Kong. He is also the Emeritus University Professor of University of Toronto.
Prof Vivian W W Yam is currently the Philip Wong Wilson Wong Professor in Chemistry and Energy and Chair Professor of Chemistry at The University of Hong Kong. She was elected to Member of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Foreign Associate of US National Academy of Sciences, Foreign Member of Academia Europaea, Fellow of TWAS and Founding Member of The Hong Kong Academy of Sciences.
Prof Yam was the Laureate of 2011 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award. She has received a number of awards, including the Josef Michl ACS Award in Photochemistry, RSC Centenary Medal, RSC Ludwig Mond Award, Porter Medal, IUPAC Distinguished Women in Chemistry Award, Inter-American Photochemical Society (I-APS) Presidential Award, Bailar Medal, JPA Eikohsha Award, JSCC International Award, State Natural Science Award, CCS-China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) Chemistry Contribution Prize, CCS Huang Yao-Zeng Organometallic Chemistry Award, etc.
Her research interests include inorganic and organometallic chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, photophysics and photochemistry, and metal-based molecular functional materials for sensing, organic optoelectronics and energy research.
Prof Kenneth Young is a theoretical physicist, and is Emeritus Professor
of Physics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is Chair of the Shaw Prize Council and Vice
Chair of its Board of Adjudicators. He pursued studies at the California Institute of Technology,
USA, 1965–1972, and obtained a BS in Physics (1969) and a PhD in Physics and Mathematics (1972). He
joined the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1973, where he has held the position of Chairman,
Department of Physics and later Dean, Faculty of Science, Dean of the Graduate School and
Pro-Vice-Chancellor. He was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 1999 and a Member
of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences in 2004. He was a Member of the University Grants
Committee, HKSAR and Chairman of its Research Grants Council; he was also Chairman of the Curriculum
Development Council and a member of the Education Commission, HKSAR. He served as Secretary and then
Vice-President of the Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies. His research interests include
elementary particles, field theory, high energy phenomenology, dissipative systems and especially
their eigenfunction representation and application to optics, gravitational waves and other open
systems.
Vice-President (Academics) cum Provost,
Lingnan University
Choh-Ming Li Professor of Physics,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Chief Curriculum Development Officer (Science),
Education Bureau,
The HKSAR Government
Chairman,
Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary Schools
Edmund and Peggy Tse Professor in Mathematics and Chaired
Professor,
The University of Hong Kong
Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences
Pro-Vice-Chancellor / Vice-President (Research),
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Founding Member of The Hong Kong Academy of Sciences,
Former Vice Chancellor of The University of Hong Kong
Vice-President for Institutional Advancement and Chair Professor of
Mathematics,
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Vice President (Student and Global Affairs),
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Chair of The Shaw Prize Council
Emeritus Professor of Physics of The Chinese University of Hong
Kong
Chair Professor of Plant Biology,
Hong Kong Baptist University
