Building Back Greener

RUNDOWN:

14:00     Registration
14:30     Opening Remarks
14:40     Welcome Remarks
14:55     Presentation on “Building Back Greener: Addressing Climate Change in Asia”
15:30     Fireside Chat
16:15     Coffee Break
16:30     Panel Discussion
17:30     Closing Remarks
17:45     Cocktail Reception

ASHK member price / Supporting partner: HKD250
Non-member price: HKD270

Asia, the home of 60% of the world’s people, is on the frontlines of climate change with the growing frequency and severity of natural disasters and extreme weather events. Hong Kong is no exception.  Recent record rainfall and severe flooding indicate the impact of extreme weather. The private sector plays an important role in responding to climate change. What is the role of the private sector, and how are leading Hong Kong firms responding to climate change?

Discover the answers in Building Back Greener: Addressing Climate Change in Asia. In addition to a report presentation from Dr. Ruth Shapiro, the Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS), the event promises to be a remarkable gathering of leading business leaders who will share perspectives and insights on tackling climate challenges in their respective industries.

Speakers (by surname alphabetical order)

Ronnie C. Chan is the Chair of Hang Lung Group Limited and its subsidiary Hang Lung Properties Limited, both publicly listed in Hong Kong. Hang Lung expanded into mainland China in 1992, developing, owning, and managing world-class commercial complexes in key tier-one and tier-two cities. In 1986, Mr. Chan co-founded Morningside, a diversified investment group engaged in private equity and venture capital investments in North America, Asia, and Europe. He founded and chairs the China Heritage Fund, and is a co-founding Director of The Forbidden City Cultural Heritage Conservation Foundation in Beijing. Mr. Chan is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Chair Emeritus of the Asia Society and Chairman of its Hong Kong Center, and Co-Founder and Chairman of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society. He serves or has served on the governing or advisory bodies of several think tanks and universities, including Peterson Institute for International Economics, World Economic Forum, East-West Center, Pacific Council on International Policy, Eisenhower Fellowships, The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, University of Southern California, Indian School of Business, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Yale University, Tsinghua University, and Fudan University.

Hing Chao is an Executive Committee member and Chairman of the China Sub-committee of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association. He is also the founder and convenor of the Greater Bay Maritime Forum, inaugurated in Hong Kong in 2021, followed by Guangzhou in 2023. Hing was also recently appointed committee member of the Consultative Committee on Guangdong-Hong Kong Co-operation (Guangzhou Nansha). Wah Kwong adopts a holistic approach to sustainability and aims to tackle substantial environmental challenges with supply chain partners, through technological innovations. On this front, Hing has been an active voice, as the Chairmen of Bureau Veritas Global Marine and Offshore Council, and RINA’s Asia Decarbonisation Committee. He is also a member of The Hong Kong Committee of Nippon Kaiji Kyokai. On driving social impact, Hing steers the corporate-school partnership programme in China to nurture future multidisciplinary maritime talents with several universities and education institutions in Shandong province, Shanghai, and Greater Bay Area (Shenzhen and Guangzhou).  In addition, Hing is a trustee of the Hong Kong Maritime Museum and Honorary President of the Institute of Seatransport.

Annie Chen is the principal and Chair of RS Group, a mid-sized family office based in Hong Kong.  Convinced that sustainability is the defining challenge of our times, Annie believes that one should, and can, “invest in the future one wants to create”. Following a 5-year journey building a values-aligned portfolio of sustainable investments and grants, RS Group published an impact report in May 2016 to share its learnings, and also incubated and launched in 2019 the Sustainable Finance Initiative, a private investor community platform that aims to promote and drive demand for sustainable finance. Annie believes investing in natural capital is a highly effective way of valuing, protecting, and sustaining the world’s natural assets that are critical for our existence while mitigating climate change. RS Group has therefore developed a “Natural Capital Initiative,” aimed at deploying catalytic capital to support innovative nature-based solutions in Asia.  Projects under this initiative include a blended finance funding window developed jointly with Convergence Blended Finance, as well as Terratai, a nature venture builder for Asia based in Indonesia. Terratai will support nature-based businesses and investment models by providing funding and hands-on venture support to entrepreneurs in Asia until they reach a stage of attracting institutional capital.

Mahesh Harilela is a successful businessman and philanthropist based in Hong Kong. He belongs to the renowned Harilela family, which owns the Harilela Group, a diversified conglomerate with interests in various industries, including hospitality, real estate, and trading. Mahesh Harilela is known for his dynamic leadership and visionary approach to expanding business interests globally. He has played a crucial role in diversifying the Harilela family’s business interest, presence, and reputation in the international market in areas of renewable energy, agriculture, and technology. Moreover, Mahesh Harilela has actively participated in philanthropic activities, focusing on education, healthcare, and community development.

Grace Kwok is the Chairman and Executive Director of AEC Group and Chief Sustainability Strategist of AEC Capital Ltd. She is a seasoned sustainability professional with more than 20 years of experience in sustainable design and green building projects in Hong Kong, China, and across Asia-Pacific. With a background in environmental engineering, Grace is a keen advocate of regenerative sustainability for the built environment. She is currently the Director of the Hong Kong Green Building Council, Founding Vice President of the Greater Bay Area Carbon Neutrality Association, and Director of the Hong Kong Institute of Qualified Environmental Professionals. Grace is also the Co-Chair of the Real Estate Working Group under the Hong Kong Green Finance Association. Outside Hong Kong, she has led AEC Group to become WorldGBC’s Asia Pacific Net Zero Collaborator while sharing best practices through her roles in the GRESB Real Estate Standards Committee, LEED Technical Advisory Group, BRE ESG Advisors Club, and IWBI Health Equity Advisory. Driven by a vision to shape a sustainable future for all, Grace works with the real estate and finance sectors through ESG and Green Finance advisory to build climate resilience and accelerate net-zero transition.

Professor Christine Loh (Moderator) is Chief Development Strategist, Institute for the Environment at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Scholar in Residence at Asia Society Hong Kong, and a Visiting Scholar at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. She is a former government minister and legislator and has long experience in many areas of public policy. She serves on numerous boards overseas, as well as in Hong Kong. She is a published author of many academic and popular works.

Dr. Ruth A. Shapiro is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS). CAPS is a research and advisory non-profit organization based in Hong Kong and working throughout Asia. CAPS is committed to producing world-class, evidence-based research to help philanthropists, governments and social delivery organizations maximize the positive impact of private social investment. Dr. Shapiro is the primary author of Pragmatic Philanthropy: Asian Charity Explained, published by Palgrave Macmillan in January 2018. She is the editor of The Real Problem Solvers, a book about social entrepreneurship in America. She also co-authored the book, Building Energy Efficiency: Why Green Buildings are Key to Asia’s Future. She has published articles in Nikkei Asia, the South China Morning Post, Alliance, and Philanthropy Impact and is a regular speaker on issues related to private social investment in Asia. Dr. Shapiro founded the Asia Business Council and served as its Executive Director from its inception in 1997 until May 2007. She spent the early part of her professional career in the field of international development. Within this field, she held management positions and built new program areas at the Academy for Educational Development, the Harvard Institute of International Development, and Global Outlook. She holds a doctorate from Stanford University and master’s Degrees from Harvard University and George Washington University. She completed her undergraduate work at the University of Michigan.

Marjorie Yang is the Chairman of Esquel Group, a knowledge-based innovation company that continuously pushes for positive change in the textile and apparel business, expanding into new territory to evolve with the industry and its customers. As a strong believer in sustainable development and environmental conservation, Marjorie is a member of the High-Level Steering Committee of the UN Global Compact Action Platform on “Sustainable Infrastructure for the Belt and Road Initiative to accelerate the SDGs”, the Executive Council of UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Sustainable Business Network (ESBN) and the Advisory Council of China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED). She also serves as a member of the Chief Executive’s Council of Advisers on Economic Advancement and Sustainability and as Hong Kong, China’s representative on the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). Furthermore, she is an Executive Board member of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

Marjorie is dedicated to promoting education and innovative technologies. She is the Co-chairman of the advisory board of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Chairperson of the Steering Committee of CoolThink@JC, which is created and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. She also serves as a member of various advisory boards including Harvard University, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Tsinghua University’s School of Economics & Management, the University of Hong Kong’s Innovation Academy of the Faculty of Engineering, and Guilin Tourism University.

Marjorie is an Independent Non-executive Director for Budweiser Brewing Company APAC Limited and Meituan.

She served as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference from 2003 to 2018 and was the Chairman of the Council of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University for six years until 2015. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Mr. Eddie Yue was appointed Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) on 1 October 2019.  He began his career as an Administrative Officer in the Hong Kong Government in 1986.  He joined the HKMA upon its establishment in 1993 and was promoted to Division Head a year later.  He was appointed Executive Director in 2001 and subsequently Deputy Chief Executive in 2007 before taking up his current position.

Mr. Yue has participated in numerous areas of the HKMA’s work.  During his tenure as Deputy Chief Executive, he steered major policies and initiatives relating to reserves management, research, external affairs, and market development.  Mr. Yue was also actively involved in tackling major financial crises and played an instrumental role in enhancing the Linked Exchange Rate System.

Mr. Yue was educated at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Harvard Business School.

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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.