RUNDOWN:
17:45    Registration
18:00    Opening Remarks
18:05    Presentation
18:15    Panel discussion 1
18:40   Panel discussion 2
19:05   Q&A from audience
19:25   Closing Remarks
19:30   End

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Non-Member Ticket: HKD 150

As Hong Kong takes a step back and again reviews the proposed municipal solid waste (MSW) charging scheme, Asia Society Hong Kong Center is proud to continue its deep dive into “waste” in the second of a two-part series with ASHK Scholar-in-Residence and HKUST Professor Christine Loh. The first program on May 28 explored the important work that Hong Kong is already doing to deal with its waste.

In this second program, Professor Loh and RTHK3 Trash Talk host Marcy Trent Long will co-host a discussion featuring Johnnie C K Chan, Past President & Current Council Member of The Hong Kong Association of Property Management Companies, Ron Chow, Chief Strategy Officer of Baguio Green Group, Graham Long, Executive Chef of EAST Hong Kong, Alan Mok, Senior Manager (Facilities Services) at HKUST, Martin Putnam, Senior Manager of the Airport Authority Hong Kong’s Sustainability team, and Professor Jonathan Wong, Top Talent Professor of the Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Engineering of the Dongguan University of Technology, on their respective journeys to become MSW-Ready by adopting circular economy principles.  Panelists will share their tips and tricks for reducing waste at the source, finding reuse options, and recycling in Hong Kong.

Dr Johnnie C K CHAN, SBS, BBS, JP, is a Past President & Current Council Member of The Hong Kong Association of Property Management Companies. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of a global real estate services group listed on the London Stock Exchange. He is the Chairman of the Hong Kong Housing Authority Building Committee, a member of the Hong Kong Housing Society. He is the convener of the Hong Kong Alliance of Professional Housing, Property & Facility Management (10會1局), the Past President of The Hong Kong Institute of Housing, and the former Chairman and a current member of the Housing Managers Registration Board. Dr Chan is also the Adjunct Professor of The University of Hong Kong, an External Examiner of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Deputy External Academic Advisor of the City University of Hong Kong and a member of the Advisory Peer Group of the Hong Kong Metropolitan University. 

Over the decades, Dr Chan has served on a number of Government boards and committees, including but not limited to the Waste Reduction Committee, Waste Reduction Projects Vetting Subcommittee of the Environment and Conservation Fund. He has been working closely with the Environment and Ecology Bureau and Environmental Protection Department on the legislation of the Municipal Solid Waste Charging Scheme and the preparation of the Municipal Solid Waste Charging Best Practice Guide in collaboration with the stakeholders in particular property management companies, owners’ corporations, and other owners’ organizations as well as cleaning companies, etc., which provide waste collection services for housing estates, residential / industrial / office buildings and shopping centres.

Ron Chow, Chief Strategy Officer of Baguio Green Group, is a Subject Matter Expert specializing in circular economy, recycling, corporate strategy, innovation, M&A/investment/partnerships, and government policies related to ESG and sustainability. He holds both the CFA and CESGA qualifications and is currently pursuing a Master of Sustainability Leadership degree at the University of Cambridge, UK.

Ron has successfully led numerous pioneering circular economy and innovative sustainability projects for the Hong Kong Government. His notable contributions include the development of the Smart Recycling Machine & Big-Data Platform, the Smart Food Waste Machine, and bioconversion technology to address chicken waste issues. Additionally, he has spearheaded the Smart Toilet with AI initiatives and provided advisory to HKSAR Government on various circular economy and waste management initiatives in Hong Kong.

Professor Christine Loh, SBS, JP, OBE, Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite, is Chief Development Strategist at the Institute for the Environment, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), engaging in teaching and research. Her teaching experience includes a course on Non-Market Risks at the Anderson School of Management, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) from 2018-22. She is Visiting Scholar at the Anderson School of Management’s Center for Global Management (2023-24). Professor Loh was Under Secretary for the Environment in the HKSAR Government (2012-17). Between April 2019 and March 2020, she was the Special Consultant to the Office of the Chief Executive of the HKSAR Government on the ecological civilization aspects of the Greater Bay Area Outline Development Plan. She has also been a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council.

Graham Long is the Executive Chef of EAST Hong Kong. A veteran chef who brings over two decades of culinary experience across a succession of acclaimed kitchens, Graham oversees five restaurants and bars. Graham embarked on his Swire Hotels journey in 2021 in his previous role as Executive Chef of The Continental by The Upper House.

A British national, Graham developed a passion for food from a young age and began his career in London with Gordon Ramsay’s eponymous restaurant at Claridge’s, after which he moved on to the acclaimed Buckinghamshire restaurant, The Sir Charles Napier, before returning to London to work under two Michelin-starred Chef Shane Osborn at Pied a Terre rising to Sous Chef. In 2012, Graham arrived in Hong Kong with Chef Osborn, working as Head Chef to open St Betty in IFC mall. After 2 years, he decided to enrich his culinary journey back home in London as Head Chef at Michelin-starred L’autre Pied and later opened Elystan Street alongside renowned chef Phillip Howard.

Marcy Trent Long founded Sustainable Asia in 2018 to expand environmental journalism here in Asia. She hosts the weekly RTHK3 feature Trash Talk, and is executive producer of the Sustainable Asia podcast, an award winning podcast that provides a new perspective on how countries in Asia are tackling a changing planet. Marcy’s environmental reporting follows a 15 year global career in energy and finance. She has an MBA from The Wharton School.

Alan Mok is Senior Manager (Facilities Services), Campus Management Office of HKUST. Alan joined HKUST in September 2017, committed to increasing recycling initiatives and reducing the environmental impact of our Campus, he is playing a major role for initiating rigorous procedures for more efficient separation and collection of waste for third party recycling. He is also responsible for leading a team of cleaning specialist to provide one-stop and environmental friendly cleaning services for all stakeholders of the campus. Alan has over 15 years’ experience in real estate and property management industry. Prior to joining HKUST, he has worked for various well established property developers in Hong Kong and has been involved in management of various shopping malls and Grade A commercial buildings. Alan holds a Bachelor degree in Estate Management from the University of Reading and Master degree in Housing Management from the University of Hong Kong. He is a member of the Hong Kong Institute of Housing and a professional member of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Martin Putnam is the Senior Manager of the Airport Authority Hong Kong’s (AA) Sustainability team. He has over 25 years’ experience driving and implementing sustainability programmes, primarily in Hong Kong and with a focus on the aviation sector.

A key work area in recent years has been waste management planning for the future expanded HKIA operations, against the backdrop of the Government’s ambitious “Waste Blueprint for Hong Kong 2035”.  AA is tasked with handling wastes generated by hundreds of tenants in airport facilities and from arriving aircraft and AA largely relies on upstream efforts to separate recyclables; a number of initiatives are in place helping to drive upstream recyclables separation towards AA’s 2025 recycling target.  While implementation of the Government MSW charging scheme presented significant logistical and organisational challenges, it was anticipated that the MSW charge would serve to encourage increased upstream recyclables separation. 

Martin’s work extends to other sustainability challenges and he is also working to implement far-reaching biodiversity-related mitigation and enhancement commitments for the three-runway system project.  Martin previously led the design and roll out of an airport-wide carbon footprint and emissions reduction programme at HKIA and was pivotal in establishing a partnering and engagement approach across the airport business community to leverage an overall reduced airport environmental footprint at HKIA.

Alicia Shen is an intern at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, working under the mentorship of Professor Christine Loh. Alicia grew up in Hong Kong and is currently a rising junior at Yale University majoring in Environmental Studies with a certificate in Energy Studies. Alicia’s main interests are in energy and climate justice, as well as environmental policy. She has previously engaged in environmental communications and education work through Yale’s Student Environmental Coalition and Environmental Education Collaborative.

Professor Jonathan Wong is an Academician of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, and a top 2% scientist in biotechnology in Stanford University Ranking 2024.  He is currently a Top Talent Professor of the Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Engineering of the Dongguan University of Technology. His research expertise is in the area of solid waste management with specialization in bioconversion of organic wastes for energy and added value products. He was bestowed with Medal of Honor and Bronze Bauhinia Star by the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region respectively in 2011 and 2022 for his service and contribution to the Hong Kong environment, and appointed as Justice of Peace in 2013.

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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.