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The following is issued on behalf of the Financial Services Development Council:
The Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) today (November 9) held its first Career Day. The event provided a platform for university students and young graduates to gain a better understanding of the career choices in the financial services industry in Hong Kong.
In her opening remarks, the Chairman of the FSDC, Mrs Laura Cha, said, "The financial services industry looks for a large number of fresh entrants every year. Apart from seeking talent for client-facing and front-office jobs such as those for investment bankers, private bankers, financial consultants, fund managers and investment analysts, financial institutions also have the need to employ support staff to ensure the smooth operations of their business.
"Looking ahead, the FSDC will continue to examine the strategic development of human capital in Hong Kong's financial services industry with a holistic view, and will encourage collaboration between the demand and supply sides of the financial talent pool in order to support capacity building for our home-grown professionals," Mrs Cha added.
Delivering a keynote address at the close of the Career Day, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Professor K C Chan, outlined the many opportunities in the financial services industry, highlighting the broader role that finance plays in the economy and society as a whole, from helping people solve everyday problems at different stages in life, to alleviating poverty and promoting economic growth and employment opportunities.
"Fundamentally, finance originated from a need to solve real problems for real people - rich, not-so-rich and poor alike," Professor Chan said. He appealed to the event's young participants to learn more about careers in the financial services sector and gain early exposure to them.
The half-day event featured keynote speeches, a panel discussion with the topic "Career in Finance" and three concurrent sessions on practical tips on job search and preparation for a career in finance, bringing together more than 420 students from 10 universities and leading practitioners to explore the growing opportunities in the financial services industry.
Speakers included the Regional Chief Executive Officer, Greater China, Standard Chartered Bank (HK) Ltd, Mr Benjamin Hung; the Chief Agency Officer, Sun Life Financial Hong Kong, Ms Belinda Au; the Head of Global Markets Solutions Group, Asia Pacific, Credit Suisse, Mr Mervyn Chow; the Chairman, Asia Private Bank, JP Morgan Chase Bank, NA, Mr Michael Fung; the Regional Head of Investments, Asia Pacific, Invesco Hong Kong Limited, Ms Anna Tong; Co-Head CEO & Board Practice, Asia and Head, Private Equity Practice, Asia, Spencer Stuart, Ms Alice Au; and Director and Managing Partner, Hong Kong, McKinsey & Co Inc HK, Mr Joe Ngai.
About the FSDC
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government established the FSDC in 2013 as a high-level, cross-sectoral advisory body to engage the industry in formulating proposals to promote the further development of Hong Kong's financial services industry and to map out the strategic direction for development.
The FSDC set up five committees, namely the Policy Research Committee, the Mainland Opportunities Committee, the New Business Committee, the Market Development Committee and the Human Capital Committee.
Ends/Sunday, November 9, 2014
Issued at HKT 14:33
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