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A forum will be organised on Thursday (December 9) as part of government efforts to further strengthen Hong Kong's competitiveness as an international asset management centre and the premier capital formation centre for the Mainland.
Organised by the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and the Advisory Committee on Human Resources Development in the Financial Services Sector (FinMan Committee), the "Forum on Hong Kong as an International Asset Management Centre: Challenges and Opportunities" aims to facilitate the exchange of views and ideas on how Hong Kong can strengthen further its position on the financial services front, with particular emphasis on strategic development of human resources to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead.
"Hong Kong is one of the most prominent asset management centres in Asia. Over the years, we have established a solid foundation and developed a large pool of talent with rich expert knowledge, experience and international exposure," the Permanent Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (Financial Services), Mr Kevin Ho, said today. "The Government will spare no effort in further enhancing the development of financial services talent."
"The forum will provide an excellent opportunity and platform for market participants, professional organisations and the academia to share with each other their insights and experiences," Mr Ho said.
The forum, with a maximum capacity of 300, has been oversubscribed with overwhelming support from all sectors of the financial services industry as well as academic institutions.
The event will be launched by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Frederick Ma. Keynote speakers include Chairman of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited Mr David Eldon and Executive Council member, Mrs Laura Cha. Chairman of the FinMan Committee, Mr Roger Luk, will end the forum with closing remarks.
Besides the keynote addresses, there will be three plenary discussions in the morning and two breakout sessions in the afternoon with specific focus on human resources development and training.
More than 20 renowned speakers and prominent representatives of the industry and academia will share with participants of the forum their insights on various topics including the outlook for the asset management industry, access of Hong Kong-based financial services to other markets and initiatives to reinforce Hong Kong's status as an international financial centre and an asset management centre from the human resources perspective.
Noting that the key ingredient for Hong Kong's success as an international financial centre lay with its strong and resilient financial services human strength, FinMan chairman Mr Luk said there were lots of challenges and opportunities in this fast changing financial services world.
"It is the vision of the FinMan Committee to cultivate a sense of partnership in the financial services sector in the pursuit of our common goal of enhancing the competitiveness of Hong Kong," Mr Luk said. "In this regard, the committee is pleased to join with the Government to organise this forum which serves as a platform for direct discussion and dialogue to devise our human resources development strategies."
The FinMan Committee was established in June, 2000, to foster better co-ordination of the efforts made by the Government and the industry. It comprises representatives from the industry, regulators, professional bodies, training providers and the Government. It is tasked to co-ordinate the strategy of meeting the financial services sectors' demand for human resources development needs, and motivate sector-wide support to the relevant initiatives towards this end.
Detailed information of the forum is available on the FSTB website (http://www.fstb.gov.hk/fsb/topical/hkiamc.htm)
Ends/Friday, December 3, 2004
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