On November 6, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Entrepreneurs Forum 2024: Hong Kong’s Role in the New Era, jointly organized by The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen), Shenzhen Finance Institute (SFI), Our Hong Kong Foundation (OHKF), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Business School, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area Entrepreneurs Alliance, was successfully held in Hong Kong. The Forum focused on Hong Kong’s unique advantages in connecting the mainland and global markets, promoting cooperation in the Greater Bay Area, and accelerating high-quality development to jointly explore the huge potential of development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Dr. Jane Lee, President of OHKF, and Professor Wang Cong, Associate Vice President (Student Affairs) of CUHK-Shenzhen, on behalf of the host organizations, welcomed more than 800 participants. Other guest speakers included Dr. Bernard Chan Pak Li, Acting Secretary for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR); Mr. Zhu Wei, Deputy Director of the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission and Executive Deputy Director of Provincial Office of Greater Bay Area; Dr. Jonathan Koon-shum Choi, Standing Committee Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) of the People’s Republic of China, Chairman of the Hong Kong-based Sunwah Group, and Chairman of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area Entrepreneurs Alliance; and Dr. Wingco Lo, President of the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association (CMA) of Hong Kong.

The Forum consisted of two keynote speeches and four industry insights. The first keynote speech, themed “Finding New Paths Amidst Challenges to Enhance Business Competitiveness,” featured two guest speakers, namely Dr. Brian Hongdi Gu, Honorary Vice Chairman of the Board and Co-President at Xpeng, and Mr. Marcus Spurrell, CEO of International Business of DMALL. In the subsequent dialogue session, Mr. Antony Leung, former Financial Secretary of HKSAR, Chairman of Nan Fung Group, and Co-founder and Group Chairman of New Frontier Group, was invited to join the sharing. This session was moderated by Dr. Stephen Wong Yuen Shan, Head of the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit of the Government of the HKSAR.

The second keynote speech, themed “The Greater Bay Area and Hong Kong: Advancing Global Competitiveness of Mainland Industries,” featured Councilor Hon Sunny Tan, Chairman of the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), as the guest speaker. Ms. Irina Fan, Director of Research at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, joined the dialogue session. The session was moderated by Professor Xiao Geng, Associate Dean of the School of Public Policy, CUHK-Shenzhen and Chairman of the Hong Kong Institution for International Finance.

The first industry insight focused on “Financial Industries in the Greater Bay Area: Cross-Border Collaboration and Global Opportunities.” The keynote speaker was Mr. Grant Pan, CFO of Noah Holdings and CEO of Noah Hong Kong. Later, Mr. Eric Ho, Executive Director and Director of Dah Sing Bank (China) Limited, and Ms. Winnie Wong, CEO and Executive Director of Asia Insurance Company Limited, joined the dialogue session. The session was moderated by Professor Wang Jian, Associate Director of SFI and Director of FEMBA Programme.

The second industry insight, with a focus on “Artificial Intelligence and High-End Manufacturing in the Greater Bay Area: Strategic Visions for a Tech-Driven Future,” featured keynote speakers including Mr. Nixon Chau, former General Manager of SenseTime Asia Pacific Hong Kong, and Professor Li Zexiang, Professor of the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Founder of the Songshan Lake Xbot Park, and Founder of the Shenzhen InnoX Academy. Later, Mr. Lewis Chan, Founder and CEO of Xsight, and Mr. Ka Mun Chang, Managing Director of Li & Fung Development (China) Ltd., had a dialogue with the two keynote speakers. The session was moderated by Mr. Robert Lok Pak Keung, Vice President of the CMA of Hong Kong.

The third industry insight, themed “Green Economy and New Energy in the Greater Bay Area: Pathways to Sustainable Growth,” featured keynote speakers including Ms. Poman Lo, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Regal Hotels International Holdings Limited and Founding Managing Partner of AlphaTrio Capital, and Mr. Chavalit Frederick Tsao, Chairman of Tsao Pao Chee (TPC), Founder of OCTAVE, and Chairman of Council of Wisdom of the Family Business Network International. The two guests later joined the dialogue with Dr. Qu Kang, Managing Director of Sustainability Strategy at Bank of China (Hong Kong) and Vice President of the Hong Kong Green Finance Association; Mr. Pat Woo, Partner and Head of ESG practice in Hong Kong at KPMG China; and Professor Kung Wai Christine Loh, Chief Development Strategist at the Institute for the Environment at HKUST.

The fourth industry insight, themed “Digital Assets in the Greater Bay Area: Shaping the Future Digital Economy,” explored the ways for enterprises to take advantage of digital assets to create new business models, strengthen cross-border cooperation, and enter emerging markets such as the new generation of digital platforms. Later, Ms. Vivien Khoo, CEO of the Private Wealth Management Association, and Ms. Sandy Peng, Co-founder of Scroll, started a dialogue with the two speakers, with Mr. Victor Yim, Head of Fintech of Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, as the session chair.  

Professor Xiong Wei, Academic Dean of SME and SFI, CUHK-Shenzhen, and Mr. Ryan Ip, Vice President cum Co-Head of Public Policy Institute at OHKF, delivered closing speeches at the Forum.