Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) held its Honorary Degrees Ceremony 2022 today (5 December), at which Honorary Degrees were conferred upon five distinguished persons in recognition of their remarkable achievements: Mr Chan Ka-kui, Dr Charles Chen Yidan, Ms Katie Shu Sui-pui, Prof. Joseph Ting Sun-pao and Mr Peter Wan Kam-to. HKMU Council Chairman Ir Dr Conrad Wong Tin-cheung presided over the ceremony.
HKMU Acting President Prof. Reggie Kwan Ching-ping commended the five Honorary Degree recipients for their enormous contributions to higher education, to their respective professions, and to the community at large.
Addressing the ceremony, Prof. Kwan said the University is committed to pushing ahead with its strategic plans. He said, “HKMU will recruit top-quality faculty members, reform its academic curricula, develop impactful research, enhance the campus facilities, and enrich the student learning experience, in order to positively impact the lives of our students, faculty and staff members. Through teaching, research and service, we are creating a family of citizens for Hong Kong and the nation.”
Brief profiles of the five Honorary Degree recipients are as follows:
Mr Chan Ka-kui, GBS, JP (Doctor of Social Sciences , honoris causa)
Mr Chan Ka-kui, a Registered Professional Surveyor and successful contractor, is the former Chairman of the Construction Industry Council (CIC). He is a distinguished leader and a highly respected member of the construction industry. During his tenure as Chairman of the CIC, Mr Chan led the Council to spearhead numerous bold initiatives to improve the industry, including introducing Modular Integrated Construction technology in Hong Kong jointly with the Development Bureau, and setting up the Construction Industry Sports and Volunteering Programme. Mr Chan was also instrumental in setting up the Hong Kong Institute of Construction (HKIC) in 2018. To nurture future generations of professionals in the construction industry, HKMU signed a Memorandum of Intent with the HKIC in December 2021 to provide academic advancement opportunities for construction workers. ( Learn more)
Dr Charles Chen Yidan (Doctor of Social Sciences , honoris causa)
A world-renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist, Dr Charles Chen Yidan is the co-founder and Advisor Emeritus of Tencent, one of the most successful internet companies in the world. Dr Chen established the Tencent Charity Foundation in 2007 and became its first Chairman. He is also known as the 'Godfather of Internet Philanthropy in China'. He set up his own philanthropic organisation, the Chen Yidan Foundation, in 2013 to actively advance educational research and explore educational innovations. In 2016, Dr Chen founded the world's most-endowed education award, the Yidan Prize, to inspire more innovative minds and change-makers to shape the future of education through research and best practices. ( Learn more)
Ms Katie Shu Sui-pui (Doctor of Social Sciences , honoris causa)
Ms Katie Shu Sui-pui is the founder and owner of Regal Fortune Limited. Her emphasis on teamwork, respect, integrity and profit-sharing enabled her to assemble a strong and stable team, which in turn, helped her company sail through myriad challenges over the past 25 years. An alumna of HKMU, Ms Shu has a strong passion for fuelling her alma mater’s development through donations. She set up the “Katie Shu Sui Pui Charitable Trust” in 2012 to pursue a number of very meaningful initiatives, which have had a far-reaching impact. In 2021, Ms Shu donated HK$20 million to the University to establish the “Katie Shu Sui Pui Endowment Fund” to ensure the sustainable development of various initiatives. ( Learn more)
Prof. Joseph Ting Sun-pao, BBS (Doctor of Letters , honoris causa)
Prof. Joseph Ting Sun-pao is a well-known historian of Chinese and Hong Kong history. He has committed his whole working life in different capacities, as a curator, professor, writer and tour guide, to revitalising history education in Hong Kong. Prof. Ting was the Assistant Curator of the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Chief Curator of the Hong Kong Museum of History. During his 28 years of service, Prof. Ting was instrumental in the planning and implementation of the new Hong Kong Museum of History, the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence and the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum. Prof. Ting is a long-time friend of HKMU. He supported the Li Ka Shing School of Professional and Continuing Education in setting up the Professional Diploma in Community Museum Management and acts as a School Advisor. ( Learn more)
Mr Peter Wan Kam-to, MH (Doctor of Social Sciences , honoris causa)
As a distinguished and highly respected certified public accountant with over 30 years of extensive experience in auditing and advisory work in Hong Kong and mainland China, Mr Peter Wan Kam-to has been proactively advancing the development and status of the accounting profession. Mr Wan has helped develop a Corporate Governance Manual for a number of non-government social services organisations. He hopes to draw on his professional expertise to help the organisations manage their finances more efficiently and prudently. As Councillor of HKMU from 2009 to 2014 and Treasurer from 2014 to 2022, Mr Wan masterminded the setup of the “Quality Enhancement Measures” Scheme in 2017, which helped enrich the students’ university life and enabled the University to take its teaching and learning to the next level of excellence. ( Learn more)
