Rico Chan is a Hong Kong-based social designer; who explores the relationships between people, technology and our visual environment. He believes that arts, culture and our living environments inspire us, bring us together, and teach us about who we are, despite differences in age, gender, race or physical abilities – in short, that arts and culture are for all.
Rico is the founder and CEO of Beyond Vision Projects (BVP), a newly founded social enterprise that enhances quality of life for the visually impaired, the elderly with low vision and people with learning difficulties by focusing on social inclusiveness, accessibility and employment opportunities.
Rico has organised and engaged in multiple exhibitions; advocating social inclusion and equal accessibility through the Tactile-Audio Interaction System (TAIS) which enable the visually impaired to experience rich visual environments. Currently he is working on a joined exhibition with Another Way of Seeing in Seoul; Korea, and a tactile-audio installation project for the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, which will be launched in early 2019.
Guy Parsonage is Partner & Leader of the PwC Experience Centre where he is responsible for driving digital transformation and innovation for global brands in and out of Greater China. With a remarkable record in agency leadership, strategic marketing and iconic experience design, he is an industry pioneer. Guy is a highly experienced marketer and passionate culture-builder, who brings the best out of all of those around him.
Hospitality
Led a major rebranding and digital re-engineering of a global chain of hotels
Education
Led an external marketing and communications audit, strategic planning and brand architecture
Banking
A wealth of experience in internal and external engagements through brand experience and change program
Insurance
Lead of multiple on-going projects including internal engagement, brand campaigns, digital and social media strategies and executions
Chair of The Media and Marketing Network of AustCham
March 2018 – Present
The Marketing Society Asia
January 2015 – Present
Current Board member and previous Chair of the Marketing Society
Jack Morton Worldwide
June 2003 – May 2013
SVP, Managing Director in Hong Kong and Sydney, Australia
Alison Friedman joined the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority in October 2017. She is responsible for leading the dance, theatre, xiqu, as well as music and outdoor teams of the Performing Arts Department to ensure the Authority’s performing arts programmes are conceptualised, curated and implemented in a forward-looking manner that realises the Authority’s vision to be a regional and global leader in the performing arts.
Alison is a board member of the International Society for the Performing Arts, one of the largest international alliances of leaders in the performing arts. She founded the successful cultural exchange organisation Ping Pong Productions (PPP) in 2010 after studying as a Fulbright scholar at the Department of History in Peking University and the Beijing Dance Academy in Mainland China between 2002 and 2003. Prior to PPP, Alison held producer and general manager roles at dance and music institutions including the Beijing Modern Dance Company as well as famed composer/ conductor Tan Dun’s production and management company.
Mr. K.K. Ling is a professional town planner with extensive practical experience including strategic planning, cross-boundary planning, planning for the Hong Kong International Airport and the Tung Chung New Town, review of the Town Planning Ordinance, harbour-front planning and development, planning enforcement and prosecution as well as planning for new development areas.
Mr. Ling was the Director of Planning of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) from December 2012 to November 2016. After leaving the service of the Government, he was appointed as Professor of Practice (Planning) first in the Department of Building and Real Estate and now the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-informatics by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He is also Honorary Professor in the Department of Urban Planning and Design and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Geography and Resource Management of The University of Hong Kong and The Chinese University of Hong Kong respectively. He is also serving as Non-Executive Director of the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited and Member of the Executive Committee of the Hong Kong Housing Society.
Mr. Ling is Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Planners (FHKIP), Member of the Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design, Registered Professional Planner (RPP) and also possesses the People’s Republic of China Registered Urban Planner Qualification. He was the President of HKIP from 2007 to 2009. He was awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star in 2017 by the Chief Executive of the Government of the HKSAR.
Dr Edmund Lee is the Executive Director of Hong Kong Design Centre, a non-profit organisation dedicated to raising Hong Kong’s profile as a design hub of creativity and innovation, driving value creation through design and innovation. Dr Lee is a Companion of Chartered Management Institute and a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. Dr Lee currently serves as Board of Director of PMQ, Joint Convenor of the annual Business of IP Asia Forum, Member of the Design Council of The Federation of Hong Kong Industries, Advisory Committee on Design, Licensing and Marketing of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Advisory Committee of the Institute of Active Ageing of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Design Council of IE School of Architecture and Design (Spain), Arts and Culture Advisory Committee of Hong Kong International Airport, and Art Advisory Panel of MTR. He also serves as Co-opted Member, Task Force on Harbourfront Developments in Kowloon, Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing of the Harbourfront Commission. He is also Past President of Rotary Club of Hong Kong Financial Centre and honorary member of Rotary Club of Innovation Hong Kong. Other public duties include membership of a number of professional bodies and service organisations. Dr Lee received his PhD in biotechnology from King’s College London and MBA from Warwick Business School. He has also completed advanced training in non-profit management at Harvard Business School on HBS Club Scholarship.
Catherine is a writer, editor and consultant specialising in architecture and design. Born in Zambia and raised in South Africa, she obtained a Master degree in urban planning, before moving to Asia 30 years ago. After completing a Master degree in environmental science, she worked in London and Hong Kong for leading environmental specialists on major urban regeneration projects.
In 2000, she relocated to Tokyo, Japan, where over a decade she wrote on Japanese architecture, art, and design. She returned to Hong Kong seven years ago. Catherine has authored five editions of the Wallpaper* Tokyo City Guide and edited the first book in English on design essays written by the Japanese product designer Sori Yanagi. She is also responsible for the Louis Vuitton City Guide for Hong Kong, and is currently writing a book on Hong Kong for Assouline. She contributes to a wide range of leading magazines including Interior Design, Wallpaper*, Design Anthology, Vogue, as well as news media including The Telegraph and the South China Morning Post. She is the Asia-Pacific contributing editor for the New York-based Metropolis magazine. Catherine is a regular speaker and moderator at design events.
Professor Christine Loh, SBS, JP, OBE, Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite, is Chief Development Strategist at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She was Under Secretary for the Environment in the HKSAR Government (2012-17) and a Member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council (1992-97 and 1998-2000). Loh has been active in public policy and politics since the 1980s. She founded and was the CEO of the non-profit think tank, Civic Exchange (2000-12), and helped to establish several non-profit organisations in Hong Kong related to the environment, equal opportunity, arts and culture, as well as human rights.
Professor Loh is currently a board member of the Robert HN Ho Family Foundation, board member of CDP Worldwide, and an Advisor to the WYNG Master Award in photography. She is a published author of many academic and popular works. Her expertise in environmental policy is well-known, including advising the World Health Organization and International Energy Agency on issues relating to air pollution and public health. Loh is a lawyer by training, and a commodities trader by profession. She received her legal training in England, and received honorary degrees of Doctor of Law from the University of Hull and Doctor of Science from the University of Exeter.
Mrs Patricia Lau has close to 30 years of experience in management consulting. She joined the HKSAR Government in 2007 and is responsible for leading initiatives regarding design thinking, social innovation and citizen-centric services. She advocates multi-disciplinary and cross sector collaborations in solving social issues.
In 2008, Mrs Lau partnered with the Hong Kong Design Centre and students from the School of Design in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) to pilot the deployment of service design to job placement and retraining services. Since then, Mrs Lau has been advocating design thinking and helping government departments adopt the approach.
In 2013, Mrs Lau launched the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund) and engaged PolyU as one of the intermediaries with a focus on using design thinking to co-create innovative solutions to tackle issues related to poverty and social exclusion in Hong Kong. Out of the 140 social ventures funded by the SIE Fund, at least 30% make use of design thinking approaches. In particular, the Social Innovation Design Lab programme is a platform connecting 1,000 young designers, senior citizens, community groups, service providers and design professionals to address the elderly issues in Hong Kong.
Prior to joining the HKSAR Government, Mrs Lau was the Managing Consultant and Head of Public Sector in PA Consulting Group and before that, a Director in PwC Consulting. Mrs Lau has a Bachelor Degree in Surveying (Honours) and a Master Degree in Surveying Science from the University of New South Wales in Australia. She also has a MBA Degree from the Ivey Business School of the University of Western Ontario.
Ada Wong has led a varied career as solicitor, educator and cultural entrepreneur. She is a staunch advocate of cultural development, creative education and social innovation.
Ada founded Hong Kong Institute of Contemporary Culture (HKICC), a unique non-profit cultural organisation whose mission is education innovation and a creative civil society. Among other projects, HKICC founded the HKICC Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity in 2006, a senior secondary school dedicated to the nurturing of talents for Hong Kong’s cultural and creative industries development.
In 2010, she founded the Make A Difference (MaD) initiative (www.mad.asia), a “creativity for good” platform for young and creative changemakers in Asia. In 2012, she founded The Good Lab (www.goodlab.hk), a do tank and social innovation hub to enable tri-sector collaborations for positive changes in society.
In early 2016, Ada has been invited by the Mayor of Seoul, Mr PARK Won-soon, to join as member of his “Advisory Group for Seoul Innovation” together with social innovation leaders around the world.
Ada was an elected member of the Urban Council and Wan Chai District Council between 1995 and 2008 with the last four years as Chairperson of the Wan Chai District Council. She received her BA (Hons) from Pomona College, California USA, and M Ed from the University of Hong Kong. She is an Honorary Fellow of Lingnan University, Hong Kong Education University and the Hong Kong Baptist University.
Robert Wong is a Hong Kong registered architect and a member of Royal Institute of British Architects with over twenty years of professional experience and academic training in architecture, design and urban development planning. Over the years, he has been actively involved in community services. He is currently holding the position of Project Development Director at Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council. Robert is passionate in creating human-centred design by engaging users in the participatory design process. These humanities design projects improve the living environment for the poor, elderly and the disadvantaged.
Robert was awarded the Hong Kong Ten Outstanding Young Person 2015 and Hong Kong Humanity Award 2017 to recognise his achievement in the architectural profession and his contribution to community in Hong Kong. In 2016, Robert was selected as the Top 3 in the Changemaker of the Year in 4th ElderCare Innovation Award 2016 in Singapore. In the architectural professions, Robert has continuously received different design awards including design competitions in Singapore, Korea and Hong Kong. Robert has been invited to present his works at international conferences, including World Health Organisation, UN-Habitat World Urban Forum, Union of International Architects World Congress.
Building up on Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council’s rich experience of elderly service and its architectural design, Robert worked together with his colleagues to publish “Construct Miracles for Seniors – Reference Booklet for Elderly Service Project Design” in China in 2015.
“Architects are not only serving those with resources, but also the poor and the underprivileged.”
