Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) will award honorary fellowships to four distinguished persons in recognition of their outstanding achievements in their respective fields and exceptional contribution to society.

The recipients are Ms Yvonne Choi Ying-pik, Dr Chung Wai-ping, Mr Raymond To Kwok-wai and Ms Gigi Tung Oi-lai. The conferment ceremony will be held on 3 November (Friday).

Following are brief profiles of the four recipients:

Ms Yvonne Choi Ying-pik, GBS, JP

Ms Yvonne Choi Ying-pik, former Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, has made an exemplary contribution to enhancing Hong Kong's status as a leading international trade and business centre.

After graduating from university, Ms Choi entered the civil service, working in different departments and policy bureaux. She took up many key positions, including Deputy Director-General of Trade, Director of Information Services, Deputy Representative in the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Geneva, and Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Commerce, Industry and Tourism). Ms Choi also worked as a Consultant for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. The wide spectrum of Ms Choi's work allowed her to play an important role in maintaining Hong Kong's status in bilateral, regional and multilateral trade negotiations. She also helped foster a business-friendly environment for Hong Kong by making a valuable contribution to setting up the Airport Authority, promoting Hong Kong as a wine trading and distribution hub for Asia, and developing support measures for small and medium enterprises. After retirement, in 2016, Ms Choi was appointed as the first commissioner for Belt and Road. She also rendered her services readily to various community volunteer groups.

Serving as a Council Member of HKMU from 2015 to 2023, Ms Choi has made a substantial contribution to the development and governance of the University. She served as Chairman of the Human Resources Committee and Main Tender Board and was a member of the Executive Committee and the Sponsorship and Development Fund Committee.

Dr Chung Wai-ping, BBS, MH, JP

Dr Chung Wai-ping, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tao Heung Holdings Limited, is a highly acclaimed entrepreneur and staunch supporter of the development of the catering industry in Hong Kong.

Born in Guangdong Province in mainland China, Dr Chung worked as an apprentice cook and did various jobs in local restaurants after he moved to Hong Kong at the age of 15. The Tao Heung Seafood Hotpot Restaurant, which he and his partner opened in 1991 has become a leading catering conglomerate, with nearly 100 eateries in Hong Kong and mainland China. The Tao Heung Group was listed on the Main Board of The Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2007. Determined to enhance the management of traditional Chinese restaurants, Dr Chung introduced tailor-made training programmes for practitioners, established central food processing and logistics centres to ensure food safety and quality, and employed a multi-faceted approach to upgrade the professional image and service level of the industry.

Dr Chung cooperated with the Vocational Training Council to organise the first Chinese Cuisine Culture Development Programme in 2001. He is currently Emeritus Honorary President of the Institute of Dining Professionals (IDP). HKMU signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the IDP this year to launch the first locally developed Master's degree programme in the food and beverage business in 2024.

Mr Raymond To Kwok-wai, BBS

Mr Raymond To Kwok-wai is a renowned playwright, screenwriter, and film and theatre director, who has made a significant contribution to the development of the arts and culture in Hong Kong.

Mr To began to perform in radio dramas and movies at the age of six, and became known as the “child prodigy broadcaster”. For 17 years, he worked as a teacher at a secondary school, which invited him to organise a drama club. During those years, he won more than 60 inter-school drama competition awards for the school, and his impressive achievements came to be recognised. Among the 100-plus dramas that Mr To has written are I Have a Date with Spring, Hu-Du-Men, A Sentimental Journey and A Foxy Tale. His film scripts include Shanghai Blues, Peking Opera Blues and Oh! My Three Guys. In 2021, his drama The Mad Phoenix was named one of the Top 100 Plays in the Centenary of the Founding of the Chinese Communist Party by the China Theatre Association.

Mr To has won numerous accolades, including the Hong Kong Artists' Award (Best Playwright), the Hong Kong Film Awards (Best Screenplay), the Award for Outstanding Contribution in Arts of the Arts Development Council, and the Golden Horse Award (Best Adapted Screenplay).

Ms Gigi Tung Oi-lai

Ms Gigi Tung Oi-lai, founder of the Bo Charity Foundation, a registered charitable organisation, which launched the Food Angel food rescue and assistance programme, has worked unrelentingly to reduce hunger and poverty.

Ms Tung noticed that around 300,000 older adults lived in poverty in Hong Kong without healthy meals, yet the amount of food wasted was shocking. Therefore, she set up the Bo Charity Foundation and initiated the Food Angel programme in 2011. Today, Food Angel has over 300 staff and over 10,000 volunteers, who help collect 45 tonnes of edible surplus food every week, and produce over 20,000 nutritious meals and about 11,000 other meals and food packs daily, which are distributed to the older adults in need, as well as grassroots families and children.

Ms Tung also organises various community services, including Food Angel Community Centre, Community Outreach Food Assistance Service, Community School Canteen and Automated Food Dispenser. In addition, she launched the Green Angel education programme, in which over 600 schools have participated. Members of the public can tour the Foodstep Journey experience centre to learn about how to care for the community and people in need, and about the importance of cherishing food.