HKTDC Research Webinar “The Road to Net Zero: Stakeholder Engagement”

While ESG has graduated from being a desirable optional extra to becoming an essential requirement, delivering it remains challenging, especially when some stakeholders – including many key employees – don't necessarily all subscribe to the same vision. With this in mind, this webinar will detail Hong Kong’s pioneering role in facilitating ESG implementation. In particular, it will address the city’s successful development of a suite of ESG solutions designed to enhance stakeholder engagement and allow SMEs to maximise the return on their investment into more sustainable practices.

Ms. Cherry Yeung, Senior Economist (Greater China Research), HKTDC Research

As well as monitoring and analysing Hong Kong trade performance and economic developments, Cherry also keeps track of mainland China’s ever-evolving consumer and industrial markets and trade and investment policies, while additionally reviewing economic relations between the mainland and Hong Kong. Beyond this, she has oversight of a broad range of Hong Kong’s manufacturing sectors – most notably electronics, lighting and biotech – with her remit also extending to several service sectors, including testing and certification, conventions and exhibitions, green technology and environmental services and import / export support.

Mr. Arthur Lam, Co-Founder &CEO, Negawatt Utility Limited

The Co-Founder and CEO of Negawatt, an Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) start-up specialising in ESG-compliant smart city solutions, Arthur Lam is a serial entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience in the sustainable property technology sector. He previously served as the Co-Founder and Executive Vice Chairman of the Unity Group (1539.hk), a company publicly listed on the HKEx Main Board, which specialised in energy management contracts (EMC) for businesses throughout the APAC region and across Africa. An International Chamber of Sustainable Development certified ESG Planner, a Carbon Audit Professional and an Association of Energy Engineers (Hong Kong Chapter) certified Energy Manager, he has also successfully completed a number of high-level executive courses, including Net Zero (Cambridge University), Artificial Intelligence for Business (MIT), and Venture Capital (Stanford University). A graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, he has been the recipient of several prestigious accolades, including being honoured as a Distinguished Sustainability Leader by the HKMA and the Construction Industry Outstanding Young Person Award. Negawatt’s project Zero2, meanwhile, was a winner at the 2023 UNSDG Achievement Awards Hong Kong.

Moderator : Louis Chan, Deputy Director of Research, HKTDC Research

With overall responsibility for many of the Research Department’s ongoing initiatives, including the HKTDC Research portal’s continuous upgrade programme, Chan sees relevance, timeliness and user accessibility as his clear priorities.

In his role as Deputy Director of Research, he is responsible for ensuring the Department’s efficacy as a strategic business development hub and maintaining its role as the key provider of market intelligence for Hong Kong’s commercial sector.

In his previous role as the Head of the Research Department’s Global Research Team, he had a particular focus on the Americas and Europe and Central, overseeing the analysis of Hong Kong’s trade ties with these key economic zones.