The Council of Advisors on Innovation & Technology appointed

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The Government announced today (April 20) the appointment of members and Special Advisors to the Council of Advisors on Innovation and Technology (the Council).

The Chief Executive has appointed Mr Payson Cha Mou-Sing, a member of the former Chief Executive's Commission on Innovation and Technology (CIT), as the Chairman of the Council.

Mr Cha is the Managing Director of the HKR International Limited. He is an entrepreneur with business interests in textiles and clothing, venture capital and real estate development.

"I am glad that Mr Cha has agreed to be the Chairman of the Council. Having actively served on the CIT, Mr Cha had made significant contributions to its work. He will be in a good position to provide useful continuity and able leadership in the new Council's work," the Chief Executive said.

"We are confident that, under Mr Cha's chairmanship, the Council will help turn Hong Kong into an innovation and technology centre for South China and the region," Mr Tung added.

The establishment of the Council was formally announced by the Financial Secretary in his 2000-01 Budget Speech on March 8, 2000.

The Council, which replaces the CIT, is a high-level standing advisory body reporting directly to the Chief Executive. Its role is to advise and make recommendations to the Chief Executive on matters related to innovation and technology so as to optimise their contribution to Hong Kong's economic development.

The Council has a total of 16 members, including the Chairman. Fourteen are non-official members mainly drawn from the business and academic sectors, either locally or externally.

All of these non-official members are leading experts in their respective fields covering finance, economics, electronic engineering, telecommunication technology and services as well as biomedical engineering. The Government may appoint some more members later.

The membership list is as follows -

Hong Kong-based Members:

Professor Chang Hsin-Kang - President of the City University of Hong Kong.

Mr Cheng Wai-Sun - Chief Executive of USI Holdings Limited.

Professor Charles K Kao - Former Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong from 1987 to 1996.

Mr Richard Li Tzar-Kai - Chairman and Chief Executive of Pacific Century Group.

Dr York Liao - The Executive Director of Varitronix Limited.

Professor Liu Pak-Wai - Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Economics of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Mr Victor Lo Chung-Wing - Chairman and Chief Executive of Gold Peak Industries (Holdings) Limited.

Dr Lo Ka-Shui - Deputy Chairman and Managing Director of the Great Eagle Holdings Limited. Dr Lo is also the Chairman of the Growth Enterprise Market Listing Committee.

Professor the Hon Ng Ching-Fai - Dean of the Faculty of Science of the Hong Kong Baptist University.

Mr Allan Wong Chi-Yun - Chairman of the VTech Holding Limited.

Professor Chia-Wei Woo - President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

External Members:

Dr Stanley Cohen - Professor of Genetics of the Stanford University.

Professor Lawrence J Lau - Professor of Economic Development of the Stanford University.

The Chief Executive has also appointed three "Special Advisors" to the Council. These are world-renowned experts in their respective field.

The Special Advisors will give expert advice to the Council or its subcommittees as the need arises.

The Special Advisors are Professor William F Sharpe, a Nobel Laureate in Economic Science; Professor Yang Chen-Ning, a Nobel Laureate in Physics; and Dr David Ho, a world-renowned scientist specialising in the basic science of HIV/AIDS.

A brief biography of the non-official members and Special Advisors is listed below.

The Chairman, non-official members and Special Advisors are appointed in their personal capacity for a period of two years starting from today. The Secretary for Trade and Industry and the Director-General of Industry will serve as ex-officio members of the Council.

In conducting its work, the Council will, among other things, advise on the objectives and policies on innovation and technology and the priorities for their implementation.

It will review relevant Government and Government-supported programmes and services and recommend improvement measures. It will also advise on specific issues at the request of the Government and initiate its own study of relevant subjects.

The detailed terms of reference of the Council are set out in the Annex.

The Council will hold its first meeting on May 23, 2000.

Annex

Council of Advisors on Innovation and Technology

Terms of Reference

The Council of Advisors on Innovation and Technology advises and makes recommendations to the Chief Executive on matters related to innovation and technology so as to optimise their contribution to Hong Kong's economic development. To this end, it will,

(a) advise on objectives and policies, and, having regard to resource availability, the priorities for their implementation;

(b) review relevant Government and Government-supported programmes and services and recommend improvement measures;

(d) consider specific issues at the request of the Government; and

(e) where appropriate, initiate studies on specific issues.

Brief Curriculum Vitae of Non-official Members/Special Advisors

Non-official Members

Mr Payson Cha Mou-Sing, Managing Director of the HKR International Limited. Mr Cha is an entrepreneur with business interests in textiles and clothing, venture capital and real estate development. He was a member of the now-disbanded Chief Executive's Commission on Innovation and Technology. He is also the Deputy Chairman of the Council of the City University of Hong Kong, a Court Member of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and a member of the Advisory Council of Graduate School of Business of Stanford University.

Professor Chang Hsin-Kang, President of the City University of Hong Kong. Professor Chang is an expert in biomedical engineering, having been a dean of engineering in both Hong Kong and the United States. He previously served on the now-dissolved Industry and Technology Development Council and chaired the Technology Committee under the Council. He is now also the Chairman of the Culture and Heritage Commission.

Mr Cheng Wai-Sun, Chief Executive of the USI Holdings Limited. Mr Cheng is a solicitor by background and was also trained in economics. He currently serves on the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Appeal Board and the Operations Review Committee of the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

Professor Charles Kao Kuen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Transtech Services Limited. Professor Kao was the former Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong from 1987 to 1996 and is a world recognized pioneer in the field of optical fibre communication. He also served on the now-disbanded Chief Executive's Commission on Innovation and Technology.

Mr Richard Li Tzar-Kai, Chairman and Chief Executive of the Pacific Century Group Holdings Limited. Mr Li was the founder of the STAR TV back in 1990 and established the Pacific Century Group in 1993. He is a member of the Council of the City University of Hong Kong.

Dr York Liao, Executive Director of Varitronix Limited. Dr Liao is an entrepreneur in liquid crystal display panels. He served on the Industry and Technology Development Council, which was dissolved at the end of 1999. He is also a member of the Commission on Strategic Development and the University Grants Committee.

Professor Liu Pak-Wai, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Economics of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Professor Liu served on the now-disbanded Chief Executive's Commission on Innovation. He is also a member of the Commission on Strategic Development and the Economic Advisory Committee.

Mr Victor Lo Chung-Wing, Chairman and Chief Executive of the Gold Peak Industries (Holdings) Limited. Mr Lo is an industrialist specialising in electrical and electronic products. He was a member of the disbanded Chief Executive's Commission on Innovation and Technology and was the Chairman of the Electronics Committee under the dissolved Industry and Technology Development Council. Currently, he is the Chairman of the Provisional Hong Kong Science Park Company Limited.

Dr Lo Ka-Shui, Deputy Chairman and Managing Director of the Great Eagle Holdings Limited. Dr Lo was trained and practised medicine until 1979. He has extensive experience in business, financial market and technology investment. He is the Chairman of the Growth Enterprise Market Listing Committee and a member of the University Grants Committee.

Professor the Hon Ng Ching-Fai, Dean of Faculty of Science of the Hong Kong Baptist University. Professor Ng is a chemical engineer/chemist by academic discipline. He is currently a Legislative Councillor, a member of the Research Grants Council and President of the Hong Kong Institution of Science.

Mr Allan Wong Chi-Yun , Chairman of the VTech Holdings Limited. Mr Wong is electrical and computer engineering by background. His business focuses on electronic products. He previously served on the disbanded Chief Executive's Commission on Innovation and Technology and has just been appointed as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited.

Professor Chia-Wei Woo, President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Professor Woo is a physicist by academic discipline and is familiar with the incubation of technology enterprises in Silicon Valley. He also serves on the Commission on Strategic Development.

Dr Stanley N Cohen, Kwoh-Ting Li Professor of Genetics at the Stanford University. Dr Cohen is a leading research expert in the fields of genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry and microbiology. He is the inventor named on Stanford's recombinant DNA (genetic engineering) patents that underlie the field of biotechnology.

Professor Lawrence J Lau, Kwoh-Ting Li Professor of Economic Development at the Stanford University. From 1992 to 1996, Professor Lau served as a Co-Director of the Asia/Pacific Research Centre of Stanford University. From 1997 to 1999, he served as the Director of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research at Stanford University. His specialised fields include economic development and the economies of East Asia, including China.

Special Advisors

Dr David Ho, Professor of the Rockefeller University, and Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center. The Center was officially opened in April 1991 and it is dedicated to high level research effort concentrated on the basic science of HIV/AIDS. Dr. Ho has been named the Director of the Center since its inception and is a world-renowned expert in this field.

Professor William F Sharpe, STANCO 25 Professor of Finance, Emeritus, at Stanford University and Chairman of Financial Engines Inc, a company that provides online investment advice. He received the Nobel Prize in Economic Science in 1990. He was one of the originators of the Capital Asset Pricing Model of equilibrium in financial markets and also created the Sharpe Ratio for investment performance analysis.

Professor Yang Chen-Ning, Albert Einstein Professor, Emeritus, of the C N Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, State University of New York. Professor Yang received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957.

End/Thursday, April 20, 2000

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