Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) held its third “Talk of the Metropolis” of the year today (29 June). Ir Dr Ted Suen Yiu-tak, Executive Director for Digital Mobility at NEOM, Saudi Arabia (NEOM), speaking on the topic “Unlocking the Future of Cognitive Cities through Innovative Digital Technologies – NEOM”, shared strategies for constructing a smart city through innovative digital technologies and his insights into Hong Kong's information technology development.

NEOM is a smart city being built in northwestern Saudi Arabia which promotes innovation in commerce, liveability and sustainable development. The city plan prioritises the health and well-being of people and environmental protection through innovative digital technologies and strategies for building a cognitive city, including ports, research centres, sports, entertainment and tourism facilities, which encourages entrepreneurs and business leaders to develop new technologies and industries in innovative ways. Ir Dr Suen sees NEOM as the world's first cognitive city that aims to be truly sustainable, powered by zero-emissions vehicles, smart infrastructure and multi-modal mobility. “The unparallel vision of NEOM on building cognitive city by innovatively adopting different emerging technologies in different areas and by integrating them together for providing seamless digital government services to citizens sets the standard for other countries to adopt,” he said.

Since the HKSAR Government announced the “Smart City Blueprint for Hong Kong”, digital infrastructure projects and initiatives have been implemented in six areas, including mobility, the environment and living, to enable the public to experience the convenience and benefits of smart city and innovative technology in their daily lives. Ir Dr Suen said he believes that the development of smart city with digital technology will be an important trend in the future and that Hong Kong can learn from NEOM's development experience. He pointed out that the support from central government and the unique position of Hong Kong will definitely enable Hong Kong to play a vital role in the Greater Bay Area and become one of the world leaders in transforming into a truly world class smart city.

HKMU Council Chairman Ir Dr Conrad Wong Tin-cheung and President Prof. Paul Lam Kwan-sing expressed their gratitude to Ir Dr Suen for his insightful sharing. In his welcome speech, Dr Wong praised Dr Suen for his devotion to the information technology industry of Hong Kong over the years. The participants found the talk inspiring and enlightening and enthusiastically asked questions and exchanged views with Dr Suen on smart city development and digital technologies during the question-and-answer session.

As the Executive Director for NEOM, Ir Dr Suen is leading the team that is formulating the strategy to design and implement a first-of-its-kind digital mobility platform for NEOM. Prior to joining NEOM, Dr Suen was the corporate Chief Information Officer for MTR Corporation in Hong Kong. His insights and contribution to the IT industry in the Asia Pacific region have resulted in several prestigious IT awards, including the 2012 China Top 5 CIO Award, the 2013 Hong Kong CIO Award for Large Enterprises, and the 2014 Asia CIO Award. In 2020, he was bestowed the Medal of Honour by the Government of the HKSAR, and was appointed Honorary Professor of Hong Kong Metropolitan University and Adjunct Professor of City University of Hong Kong.

The “Talk of the Metropolis” series aims to provide a platform for people from all walks of life to be inspired by the views from experts and scholars, thereby having a positive impact on social development. All talks in the series will be broadcast on the University's “Knowledge for All” programme every Sunday morning on TVB Pearl. To learn more about the public lecture series or watch past videos, please visit https://www.hkmu.edu.hk/pao/talk-of-the-metropolis/.