The following is issued on behalf of the Financial Services Development Council:

     The Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) held its third Career Day at the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) Main Building this afternoon (October 29) for university students and young graduates to learn more about the career choices and prospects in Hong Kong's financial services industry.

     The career day was attended by over 400 participants. In her opening remarks, the Chairman of the FSDC, Mrs Laura M Cha said, "Talent is one of the principal drivers behind the success of the Hong Kong financial services industry. The FSDC is keenly aware that the financial services industry has a high demand for fresh entrants, and has been focusing its work on the development of human capital in the past years."

     Riding on the occasion, the FSDC officially launched the FSDC Career Website at www.career-fsdc.org.hk as one of the initiatives to help nurture human capital. The career website contains useful information about jobs of various financial sectors and videos of interviews with practitioners of different sectors to assist young students and talents who want to understand more about the job market of the financial services industry.

     This year, the career day featured a keynote address by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd, Mr Charles Li, who shared his inspiring story, career path and key lessons to learn.

     The Financial Secretary, Mr John C Tsang, said in his closing remarks that financial services is a high value-added profession which is crucial to the sustained prosperity of Hong Kong's economy. He also said that with the deepening economic ties with the Mainland and the development and application of Fintech in Hong Kong, there will be more opportunities for the financial services sector, thereby creating a promising future for the young generation.

     The event also comprised two panel discussions on "Career in Finance" and "Experience Sharing" which offered participants practical tips for job searching and preparations for a career in finance. Speakers included Senior Partner and Managing Partner, McKinsey & Company Hong Kong, Mr Joe Ngai; the Managing Director and Head of Global Banking, Hong Kong, Global Banking and Markets, HSBC, Mr Daisuke Kitamura; Co-Head of Investment Banking and Capital Markets, APAC, Credit Suisse, Mr Mervyn Chow; Founder and CEO of WeLab Mr Simon Loong; and Partner, Davis Polk & Wardwell, Ms Bonnie Chan.

     In the first panel discussion on "Career in Finance", speakers provided participants with insights on commercial banking, investment banking, digital finance and entrepreneurship. In the second panel on "Experience Sharing", recent graduates shared their best practices and lessons learnt during the course of their journey in getting into the financial services industry.

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, as the five streams of its work.

Ends/Saturday, October 29, 2016
Issued at HKT 17:25

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