RUNDOWN
17:45     Registration
18:00     Opening Remarks
18:05     Panel Discussion
18:45     Q&A
19:10     Closing Remarks
19:15     End

ASHK Member Ticket: HKD100
Non-Member Ticket: HKD150

How can economies build stronger, more productive ecosystems for innovation and entrepreneurship?  What role can universities play?  How do the experiences of Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, compare to Hong Kong’s efforts and experiences?  

Join Asia Society Hong Kong Center for a conversation with Pietro Borsano, Deputy Executive Director of the Chulalongkorn School of Integrated Innovation at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, Crystal Fok, Head of STP Platform at the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, and Charleston Sin, Executive Director of mCommerce Online and Co-founder of Peach Bioverse, moderated by Marina Chan, Executive Director of the MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node, to compare approaches across economies and answer these questions and more. 

Dr. Pietro Borsano is Deputy Executive Director (Industrial and Global Alliances) and Faculty member responsible for Entrepreneurship and Core Business at the newly established Chulalongkorn School of Integrated Innovation (CSII), at Chulalongkorn University (the oldest and #1 University in Thailand, according to QS and Times Higher Education Impact rankings). He leads all global partnership and engagement with government entities, academic institutions, and the private sector.

In 2023, the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSARG) appointed him as a member of the Peer Review Expert Panel of the Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus (RAISe+) Scheme.

His professional experience spans across academia, management advisory, and law practice, in both Europe and Asia.  In 2016, he co-founded a boutique management consultancy in Bangkok; in 2021, in CSII, he led a digital transformation consulting project aimed at the optimization of the supply chain of Banpu PLC, a primary Thai corporation. In 2022, Dr. Borsano contributed as a coach for the Thai programme of the Centre of Professional Development, Stanford University.

He is a fellow of the Innovative Teaching Scholar Programme (Stanford University) and of ELI Asia | Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation Executive Development Programme (Babson College). He holds a Master in European Business with merit from ESCP Europe and Doctorate Degree in Law with honours from the University of Turin.

He is an adviser to the Global Entrepreneurship Network Thailand with regard to the entrepreneurial mindset education program.

Dr. Crystal Fok is currently the Head of STP Platform at Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP). She is mainly responsible for various Innovation and Technology related initiatives in Science Park to drive technology adoption in industries, especially in Real Estate, Logistics, Banking & Finance and Professional Service sectors.

Prior to HKSTP, Dr. Fok was a Manager at ASTRI, managing a diverse project portfolio, such as market analysis, feasibility studies, product development and technology commercialization. She was also a Consultant at the Hong Kong Productivity Council, managing the optical design team and providing consultancy service on precision manufacturing. Dr. Fok received her PhD degree in Mechanical and Automation Engineering from CUHK and her research interests include A.I., robot arm manipulation, micro-robotics, MEMs and micro-optics.

Dr. Charleston Sin is Executive Director of mCommerce Online, a software development and service company, and Co-founder of Peach Bioverse, a digital health start-up. Dr. Sin spent the last five years as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (“MIT”) Hong Kong Innovation Node, where he was responsible for making the Node an innovation icon, serving MIT and Hong Kong communities.

Prior to joining MIT, Dr. Sin held executive positions in research and development, product management, and sales and marketing at VMware, Cisco Systems, and Nortel Networks in the United States, Canada, Asia Pacific, and Greater China. He is a Professor of Practice in the Faculty of Business at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Hong Kong. Dr. Sin is a Vice President of the eHealth Consortium.  He also served on committees/panels of the Hospital Authority in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Applied Sciences and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI), Enterprise Support Scheme (ESS) of ITF under Innovation Technology Commission (ITC), Advisory Committee of Art Development (ACAD) and Hong Kong Olympic House Management.  

Dr. Sin is an advisor of Comfiknit, an activewear start-up, and App Inventor Foundation.  He is active in the Hong Kong start-up community including as co-founder of digiXnode, a blockchain start-up, Green Innoverse, a smart agriculture start-up, and Caia, a BIM start-up. Dr. Sin received his PhD in Management Sciences at The University of Waterloo in Canada.

 

Marina Chan is the Executive Director of the MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node, overseeing educational activities for learners across secondary, tertiary and professional education. Leveraging on innovation best practices developed by MIT, Marina spearheads efforts to foster the entrepreneurial mindset through the venture creation process. Her work includes helping teachers integrate technology to create student-centered, inquiry-based learning environments, and building career-ready skills for young people. Prior to joining MIT Node, Marina worked at Merrill Lynch as vice president of client management in the Asian equity business where she earned her CFA charter. Previous to that, she began her career at Nortel Networks. Marina serves on the board of Hong Kong Red Cross schools and is a member of the Dean’s Leadership Council at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She holds a master’s degree in education from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in finance from McGill University.

Sign up link:

https://bit.ly/3SLQsuf

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.