RUNDOWN:

13:00     Registration
13:30     Welcoming Remarks
13:45     Opening Address
13:55     Keynote Speech 1: The Economic Integration and Development of the Greater Bay Area in a Changing Environment
14:25     Keynote Speech 2: 130 Years of Corporate Responsibility: What have we learned from the great minds?
14:45     ESG White Paper Release and Panel Discussion
15:55     Keynote Speech 3
16:10     Closing remarks
16:15     Networking Reception
17:15     End

ASHK Members Tickets: Complimentary

This program will be conducted in English and Putonghua with simultaneous translation.

Asia Society Hong Kong Center is proud to act as a co-organizer for the 2024 China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) Innovation Forum: Can ESG flourish in China’s Greater Bay Area? Co-organized with the Hong Kong Chinese Enterprises Association, Asia Society Hong Kong Center and Caixin Insight, this program is complimentary for ASHK Members.

The Greater Bay Area is symbolic of China’s economic transformation over the past four decades, standing today as an innovation hub and economic gateway to the global market. As a meeting point of East and West in the realms of business, finance, and culture, this is a region that always has something important to say about China’s economic future. Here, just as they are around the globe, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives are becoming an increasingly important part of this story. As the place where Chinese funds meet European and American funds in which ESG requirements are becoming increasingly commonplace, the effects are already felt in the GBA. 

At this international forum, we will look at the macroeconomic trends shaping the future of the Greater Bay Area before taking a deep dive into the latest developments in ESG and what they mean for the region. The event will also see the official launch of the annual CEIBS ESG White Paper, examining the ways in which ESG generates value for companies.

What is driving the move towards ESG in the GBA region and the wider world? How will these changes impact the overall business climate? What are the benefits of ESG to enterprises and investors, and what are the perils of ignoring it? Find out all this and more at the 2024 CEIBS Innovation Forum.

Keynote Speakers

Charles Li Xiaojia is the Founder and Chairman of Micro Connect, a startup building a new financial ecosystem that connects global capital to the real economy of China and will bring about unprecedented transparency, forecasting, insights, and returns in the world of micro business investing.

Charles was formerly Chief Executive of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX). During his time with HKEX, he orchestrated some of the most significant strategic initiatives in HKEX’s history, including the acquisition of the London Metal Exchange in 2012, the launch of the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect cross-border trading scheme in 2014, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect in 2016, Bond Connect in 2017, and the Listing Reforms in 2018. Prior to joining HKEX in 2009, Mr. Li served as Chairman of JP Morgan China and President of Merrill Lynch China.

He obtained a BA degree from Xiamen University of China in 1984, a MA degree from the University of Alabama in 1988 and a JD degree from Columbia University School of Law in New York in 1991.

Hongyu Shan is an Assistant Professor of Finance at CEIBS. Prior to joining CEIBS, he was an Assistant Professor of Finance at Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University. Dr. Shan received his Ph.D. in Finance from University of Florida and B.A. in Economics from University of Michigan.

Dr. Shan’s research interests focus on understanding the impact of climate change and other ESG initiatives on financial market and corporate decision making. His research work was published on the Review of Financial Studies and has been presented at numerous conferences including American Finance Association Meeting, Western Finance Association Meeting, SFS Cavalcade and CICF. Besides, his work has won the PVH Corp Social Innovation Fellowship by Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation in 2020.

Dr. Shan taught ESG Investment, Alternative Data Analysis etc. He was the committee member of Financial Management Association and is the referee of the Review of Financial Studies, Management Science and Journal of Banking & Finance.

Dingbo Xu is Essilor Chair Professor in Accounting and Associate Dean at CEIBS. Previously, he was Assistant Professor of Accounting at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He was a visiting professor at Peking University and also taught for the University of Minnesota's China EMBA programme. He has received several teaching awards, including the CEIBS Teaching Excellence Award in 2004 and 2005, the prestigious CEIBS Medal for Teaching Excellence in 2009, and several most popular professor awards by CEIBS MBA, EMBA, and Executive Education students.

Dr. Xu received his Ph.D. in Accounting from the University of Minnesota. He earned both his master's degree in Management and bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Wuhan University. His research focuses on mechanism design, the role of accounting information disclosure on management decision-making, performance evaluation and incentive. His research has been published in several academic journals and books.

Professor Xu is the vice-president of China Association of Chief Financial Officers, the executive director of the editorial board of China Management Accounting Review and the founding chairman of CGMA 100 North Asia Leaders Think Tank. Professor Xu has designed and delivered company specific programmes for a number of companies, such as GE, IBM, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Lenovo, CATIC Group, Schneider Electric, Moutai Group, TCL Group, Mengniu, China Investment Corporation, Tencent, COFCO, Sany Group, Bank of China, and Sinochem Group, etc. He served on the board of directors of The People’s Insurance Company (Group) of China Limited (PICC), Shanghai Shyndec Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., China Cinda Asset Management Co. Ltd., SANY Heavy Industry, Kweichow Moutai Company Limited, Societe Generale (China) Ltd. etc. He currently serves on the board of JD.com and China Trust Protection Fund Co., Ltd.

Ms Salina Yan is the Permanent Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (Financial Services) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. She leads the Financial Services Branch of the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau on policy work for developing Hong Kong’s capital market and financial services sector in furthering Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre. In that position, she deals with policy and legislative matters relating to the securities and futures markets, asset management, banking, insurance, mandatory provident funds, green finance and FinTech.

Ms Yan was Director-General of Trade and Industry between 2016 and mid-2020 when she headed the Trade and Industry Department in implementing trade and industry policies, reaching trade agreements with other economies, participating in regional and multi-lateral trade fora, and supporting Hong Kong’s small and medium enterprises.  From 2006 to 2009, she was Deputy Representative of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office based in Geneva which represents Hong Kong, China as a member of the World Trade Organisation.

Ms Yan graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor of Arts Degree and was awarded a Master of Science in Management from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Panelists and Speakers

Frank Bournois is Vice President and Dean of China Europe International Business School (CEIBS). He joined CEIBS in April 2023. Beginning in 2014, Prof. Bournois served as Executive President and Dean of ESCP Business School, the oldest and one of the most international business schools in the world with campuses in Berlin (Germany), London (UK), Madrid (Spain), Paris (France), Turin (Italy) and Warsaw (Poland). He was a full Professor of General Management and Cross-Cultural Leadership at Paris Panthéon-Assas University from 1997 to 2014, and he has supervised more than 70 doctoral students. He also served as Chairman of the National Committee for the Evaluation and Accreditation of Business Schools at the Ministries of Industry and Higher Education from 2009 to 2013.

Prof. Frank Bournois is a FRSA-Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (UK), and holds a Ph.D. in Business Strategy from the University of Lyon (France), an MBA from Aston University (UK), a Master in Management from EM Lyon (France) and DSc from City University of London (UK).

Prof. Bournois specialises in corporate governance and the study of how large European firms identify, manage and develop their future leaders. He has provided consulting services for companies such as Airbus, Bouygues, EDF, L’Oréal and Safran. Since 2019, he has served as a Member of the Global Supervisory Board of Mazars, a leading audit and advisory firm where he also chairs the Audit Committee.

Prof. Bournois is the author or co-author of 20 books, including The Handbook of Top Management Teams (Palgrave, 2010). He is an Officer in the Legion of Honour and a Commander in the Order of Merit (France), and has been awarded the Gold Medal for Education (Lebanon).

Jonathan Drew is Head of Global Banking Sustainability, Asia Pacific, HSBC. Jonathan graduated with an MA in Economics from Cambridge University in England and is also qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Jonathan started his banking career more than 30 years ago in London and has worked in a diverse range of markets including Latin America and the Middle East has been based in Hong Kong since 1997 witnessing first-hand the rapid growth of Asia. During this time, he has been involved successful advisory and financing transactions across a wide range of industrial and services sectors including energy, manufacturing, transportation, infrastructure and financial services, with a focus on resource efficiency and sustainability. These transactions have involved supporting projects, corporates and institutions to approach various financial markets and structuring innovative and tailored solutions to meet the often large and always specific needs of clients. Over the last 8 years Jonathan has led HSBC’s efforts in Sustainable Finance in Asia, assisting clients in the development of sustainability and transition strategies and communicating these to ensure best access to financial markets. Jonathan has also been active in broader market development including driving awareness and engagement on the urgency of the need to transition and the development of robust financial products to support the implementation of the transition to a sustainable and resilient future. Jonathan is a member of the Executive Committee of the Hong Kong Green Finance Association and is also the founding chair of the Asia Pacific Loan Market Association Green and Sustainable Loan Committee.

Elton Huang is Executive President of GLP China. Elton leads the renewable energy business and oversees China corporate functions including finance, legal, corporate communications, IT, and ESG.

Before GLP, Elton was with PwC for nearly 30 years and served in key leadership roles such as China Managing Partner and Asia-Pacific & China Tax Leader, overseeing diverse clients from government entities, state-owned enterprises, to private and foreign businesses, thereby gaining deep insights into the Chinese business landscape and opportunities across industries.

Elton holds various advisory positions for government bodies and social organizations, such as advisor to the International Business Leaders’ Advisory Council for the Mayor of Shanghai (IBLAC), while also being recognized as a leading talent in Shanghai since 2015.

Elton graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and holds an EMBA from China Europe International Business School. He currently serves as Chairman of the Risk Management Committee of Jiao Tong University Foundation, member of the CEIBS Alumni Association Council, trustee of Wellington School, and as a Blair Academy International Board Member.

Li Zengxin is currently the deputy general manager of Caixin Global. From December 2009 to October 2019, he worked as US bureau chief, deputy editor of international desk, editor of macroeconomics team, and editor for international economic news.

Li Zengxin has more than 10 years of experience in journalism on topics such as economics, finance and business. He has has interviewed a series of world leaders and done extensive coverage on them, which included IMF managing directors Kristalina Georgieva, Christine Lagarde; US treasury minister Tim Geithner, USTR Ronald Kirk; Australian PM Tony Abbott; central bankers and finance ministers of major economies like Ben Bernanke and Mervin King. He also represented Caixin Media as moderators and organizers in international forums and conferences such as the World Economic Forum, IMF & World Bank Group annual meetings, St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, etc.

Prior to Caixin, he worked for Caijing Magazine as a macroeconomics reporter and US correspondent, a macroeconomic editor for China Daily website.

He graduated from University College London with a MSc degree in Economics. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in international economics from China’s Capital University of Business and Economics.

S. Alice Mong is President of Asia Society Hong Kong Center (ASHK), an independent non-governmental educational organization established in 1990. Ms. Mong previously served as the Executive Director of ASHK from August 2012 until 2024, and as a consultant to ASHK in preparation for the February 2012 opening of its permanent home at the Former Explosives Magazine in Admiralty.  Prior to ASHK, Ms. Mong worked in New York for almost a decade in the non-profit sector in senior management positions. She was the Director of the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) from 2009 to 2011, overseeing the expansion project of the 30-year-old organization. She stepped down as Museum Director in July 2011 after successfully transforming the museum from a New York Chinatown institution into a leading national museum dedicated to preserving and presenting the history, heritage, culture and diverse experiences of people of Chinese descent in the United States. Ms. Mong also served as the Executive Director for the Committee of 100 in the United States, a Chinese-American non-profit membership organization founded by architect I.M. Pei and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. She began her career at the Ohio Department of Development in Ohio, and later became Managing Director of the Ohio Office of East and Southeast Asia in Hong Kong. Ms. Mong worked for Hang Lung Property Group from 1995 to 2002. She serves as a Member of the Board of Directors of The Ohio State University Alumni Association.

Olivia Wong is MTR Corporation Limited’s General Manager for Environmental & Social Responsibility and is responsible for formulating and implementing clear and effective strategies in achieving MTR's social and environmental objectives and in championing the corporation's ESG efforts and commitments. Prior to joining MTR, Olivia spent 30+ years with the Swire group in different business units including Cathay Pacific and Swire Properties. Her most recent role in John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Ltd was the Group Head of Diversity & Inclusion. Olivia was previously Director HR & Administration at Swire Properties Ltd and General Manager – Leadership Development at John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Ltd, and Managing Director at Ethos International Ltd, with responsibility for recruiting and fostering talent for the Swire Group. She joined Cathay Pacific as management trainee and had almost 20 years of broad management experience in Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong, South East Asia and Europe. Olivia graduated with a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She also has an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Hao Xu serves as Tencent’s Vice President of Sustainable Social Value (SSV), leading the company’s overall carbon neutrality strategy and its Carbon Neutrality Lab. Dr. Xu is responsible for driving Tencent’s carbon neutrality agenda, exploring how digital solutions can help reduce emissions, supporting low-carbon technologies, and promoting a sustainable lifestyle among consumers. Prior to Tencent, Dr. Xu was a partner at McKinsey & Co, leading its sustainability practice in Greater China, Southeast Asia, and India. He also worked with public institutions such as the World Economic Forum and the UK government. Dr. Xu obtained his undergraduate degree in Environmental Biology from Nanjing University, and also holds a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from the University of Nottingham, as well as a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Sheffield.

Ms. Lihui Zhang is the President of Caixin Media, Founding Director & Secretary General of Woodpecker Foundation, and one of the founding members for Caixin. Being in charge of business operation and management, she is committed to branding Caixin as the leading financial news media group in China by devoting herself to promoting innovation of products and business models of Caixin Media. Her former posts include Director of Strategic Development, Vice President, Executive Vice President and Executive President of Caixin. Prior to Caixin, Ms. Zhang served as Director of Strategic Development of Caijing Magzine and Vice President of New Alliance Consulting International Group. Ms. Zhang holds a master’s degree from Harbin Engineering University and a joint MBA degree from Fordham University & Peking University. 

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The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers and participants and, unless expressly stated to the contrary, do not reflect the opinion, position or official policy of Asia Society Hong Kong, its members, or its committees. Asia Society Hong Kong does not endorse or approve and assumes no responsibility for the content of the information presented.