George Chen appointed Honorary Senior Fellow
31st March 2023 (Friday)

March 31, 2023

The Centre for Civil Society and Governance (“the Centre”) at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) welcomes Mr. George Chen to join as an Honorary Senior Fellow of the Centre. As a practitioner–scholar, Mr. Chen brings his over two decades long professional experience in media, technology and policy to the Centre and the wider Faculty of Social Sciences.

Mr. Chen, a Yale World Fellow appointed by Yale University in 2014, was the most senior policy representative based in Hong Kong, one of the two Asia Pacific hubs for Meta, previously known as Facebook, for more than seven years until most recently. Mr. Chen joined then Facebook in January 2016 to build the company’s regional policy operation from scratch out of its Hong Kong office. Later Mr. Chen became Meta’s first-ever Managing Director of Public Policy for Greater China, Mongolia, and Central Asia. At Meta, Mr. Chen also led the company’s supply chain related policy issues across the Asia Pacific region.

During his time at Meta, Mr. Chen helped to launch the Tech for Good Initiative at the Centre in 2021, including the Meta-HKU Scholarship in Public Policy and Sustainability Leadership to support students of Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Master of Social Sciences in the field of Sustainability Leadership and Governance (MSocSc(SLG)) on the basis of academic merit.

Prior to Meta, Mr. Chen served in various editorial and management positions for major media organisations in Hong Kong and Shanghai, including the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Reuters, and Dow Jones. Mr. Chen was the youngest Managing Editor appointed by the SCMP in its century-long history. He also had short stints for Reuters in New York, London, and Dubai.

Mr. Chen has been on the board of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong since 2019. Mr. Chen was awarded the “Medal of Friendship” in 2022 – one of the highest honours for foreigners — by the order of the President of Mongolia for his long-time contributions to Mongolia’s IT industry development.

Mr. Chen earned his Master of International and Public Affairs (with distinction) from the HKU, with concentration on US-China-Taiwan triangle relations. He’s been also working on his Doctor of Public Administration dissertation about misinformation and regulation at the HKU.

Category :   Organization

Other Happenings
Event
Diversity and Inclusion Arts Festival and Diverse Abilities · Inclusive Workplace Recognition Scheme
The Centre for Civil Society and Governance is invited to attend the Opening ceremony of Diversity and Inclusion Arts Festival and Diverse Abilities · Inclusive Workplace Recognition Scheme co-organised by Labour and Welfare Bureau and Arts With the Disabled Association Hong Kong. Under the Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment, we are pleased to be involved in formulating the assessment criteria of Diverse Abilities · Inclusive Workplace Recognition Scheme and "Caring Employer" medal as announced in the Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address. With aims to commending employers who actively engage and support PWDs and foster inclusive workplaces, The medal will feature different categories, covering large corporations, small and medium enterprises, and social enterprises/public organisations, etc.
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Event
Sustainability Leadership and Governance: Showcasing Alumni Startups
Come find us at LG/F Centennial Campus, HKU on 16 March (Sat) to reconnect, learn, and celebrate HKU Foundation Day and Alumni Day! We will be showcasing startups and initiatives founded by our MSocSc Sustainability Leadership and Governance alumni and students under the theme of sustainable consumption and production (SDG12). The event will feature: EATcofriendly Instagram / Linkedin Enid.scents* website Genuinely not leather Facebook / Instagram Hole Foods website LoCoFARM Instagram (in Chinese) Pinkoi (in English) Purebamboo website (in Chinese) description on google doc (bilingual) A large variety of activities will be offered by other departments and units to cater for all ages and interests so feel free to bring your family and friends along. Check out the HKU Alumni Day website. Dr. Margaret Burnett (Director of SLGP) and Dr. Vivian Chu (Deputy Director of SLGP) will be there to reconnect with our alumni and meet anyone who is interested in being a more sustainable consumer!
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Admission
Career Talk cum admission Briefing for Master of Social Sciences in Sustainability Leadership and Governance
There is growing recognition that sustainability is necessary in everything we do, and more examples of various functional roles integrating accountability into organizational systems are becoming evident. The SLG Programme offers you multiple ways to integrate sustainability into your career path empowering you to make a difference on bigger, critical issues our communities face. Join us for a discussion with our alumni who will share their experience with integrating the values of sustainability into what they do, and how they see themselves contributing to societal well-being. Date: 28 February 2025 (Friday) Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm Registration link: https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y... (Zoom link will be sent 1 day prior to the event)
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