Forum explores opportunities for development of financial career in Mainland and Hong Kong (with photo)
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The following is issued on behalf of the Advisory Committee on Human Resources Development in the Financial Services Sector:

     Hong Kong's financial services industry has found plenty of new business by serving as the testing ground for financial reforms on the Mainland, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Professor K C Chan, said at a forum on opportunities for developing a financial career in the Mainland and Hong Kong today (January 28).

     "The 12th Five-Year Plan sets the target of increasing the services industries' share in the national GDP from 43 per cent to 47 per cent between 2010 and 2015. Among the services sectors, the financial services industry is among the most promising."

     Professor Chan said that the robust financial services industry has created enormous demand and opportunities for local financial talents equipped with international vision and knowledge of the Mainland market.

     He further noted that exchanges and collaboration of talents for the mutual benefit have been high on the agenda in Mainland-Hong Kong co-operation, adding that co-operation between financial talents from the Mainland and Hong Kong would surely contribute to our nation's financial reform in future.

     The forum, jointly organised by the Advisory Committee on Human Resources Development in the Financial Services Sector (FinMan Committee) and Hong Kong Baptist University, provided a platform for financial practitioners, academics and students to share insights on opportunities to develop a financial career in the Mainland and Hong Kong.
 
     About 200 people participated in the forum, entitled "Springboard for Future Financial Talents: the Mainland or Hong Kong?"

     At the start of the forum, the Chairman of the FinMan Committee, Mr Edward Kwan, welcomed university students who participated in the inaugural tour under the Pilot Scheme for Cross-border Study Tour for Post-secondary Financial Talents last year to share their six-week experience in Shanghai under the exchange programme.

     Mr Kwan appreciated the fact that the scheme became a key talent exchange initiative under the "Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Advancing Hong Kong-Shanghai Financial Co-operation", making the students' participation particularly significant in the context of close financial co-operation between the two cities.

     "I am pleased to announce that with the success of the inaugural tour conducted in 2012, we shall organise another study tour to Shanghai this year," Mr Kwan said. "I encourage fellow students to participate actively."

     The Dean of the School of Business, Hong Kong Baptist University, Professor Stephen Cheung, acted as moderator of the panel discussion at the forum. Panellists included Chief Economist (Greater China), Deutsche Bank, Dr Ma Jun; Managing Director, Investment Banking Division, Morgan Stanley, Mr James Tam; and Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Wing Lung Bank, Mr Zhu Qi.

     Today's forum was the eighth event held under the Industry/Academic Collaboration on Nurturing Financial Talent Series.

     The FinMan Committee jointly organised the first seven events with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Lingnan University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Open University of Hong Kong and the City University of Hong Kong.

Ends/Monday, January 28, 2013
Issued at HKT 20:57

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