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The Distinguished Alumni-in-Residence Programme 2021 launched by The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) was held from 20 to 23 October on campus. After a pause last year due to the pandemic, the programme returned this year and invited three distinguished alumni back to their alma mater to share and interact with members of the CUHK. A mentorship programme was also introduced this year which allows students to learn from the three Alumni-in-Residence at a personal level. The three alumni also hosted a number of guest lectures, workshops, and a guided tour of a newspaper office to foster interaction between alumni and attendees. The four-day programme attracted the participation of over 1,000 students, staff and alumni.

The three Alumni-in-Residence are Mr. Eric Chan Cho-biu, Executive Director, Publisher, and Group Director of Content of the Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings Limited, Ms. Quince Chong Wai-yan, Chief Corporate Development Officer of the CLP Power Hong Kong Limited, and Mr. Lo Ting-fai, Director and General Manager of HK Television Entertainment Company Limited (ViuTV). They delivered keynote speeches on “The Challenges and Opportunities to Media and Brands Brought by Technologies” at the opening ceremony, and expressed their views on “Prospects of Media and Corporate Communication under the New Normal of the Digital Era” during the forum at the closing ceremony. They explained how they utilised new technologies and social media as new opportunities in the media industry, and they discussed how a brand with history could keep up with the times and what were the social responsibilities shouldered by the media and communications industry under the new normal of digital media.

The mentorship programme newly introduced this year involved the three Alumni-in-Residence each selecting two students as their mentees and beginning a half-year mentorship. The students will be able to increase their exposure to their respective industries through hearing from their mentors about the challenges and opportunities they have experienced in the real world. This programme aims to broaden students’ perspectives and expand the impact of the Distinguished Alumni-in-Residence Programme.

The three Alumni-in-Residence also gave their insights and views during the guest lectures on news education, corporate brand building and TV channel operations. Mr. Eric Chan hosted a night-talk session to share his school life and hostel memories with students, at the hostel he lived in. The programme also featured activities including workshops and a guided tour of a newspaper office to deepen the learning experience for the students.

Professor Rocky S. Tuan, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK, expressed his gratitude to the three Alumni-in-Residence at the opening ceremony for their support of their alma mater. He said, “Although the three alumni graduated from different years, they all excel in their positions. They always keep CUHK in mind and help carry the mission and vision of the University forward despite their hectic schedules.”

At the closing ceremony, Professor Tuan also complimented their contributions in the programme,“The three Alumni-in-Residence hosted a variety of activities in the past four days without a break. They spent an unforgettable time with the CUHK Community, including the tour of the office of Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings Limited led by Mr. Eric Chan, who showed students the real-life operation of a financial news release, as well as the diversified development of the news business. Ms. Quince Chong hosted a case study master class on public relations, where the cases were so difficult and challenging that those attending benefitted a great deal. Another highlight was the pitching workshop hosted by Mr. Lo Ting-fai, which attracted many students and alumni to present their creative ideas.”

For more details, please visit: http://www.alumni.cuhk.edu.hk/darp.

About the Distinguished Alumni-in-Residence Programme

The Distinguished Alumni-in-Residence Programme is a new initiative launched by CUHK in 2018. This programme provides a precious opportunity for the University’s outstanding alumni to return to their alma mater to share their knowledge, expertise and insight with students, alumni (particularly young alumni), faculties and administrators. Each year, one or two distinguished alumni, either based locally or in other parts of the world, will be invited to return to campus for three to five days and host a series of activities related to their fields and professions, such as master classes, seminars, recollections, social gatherings and outreach activities. Through this programme, the invited alumni can join the alma mater to continue to live the mission and vision of the University by inspiring the CUHK community in various aspects and enriching the intellectual atmosphere, as well as the learning experience in the campus. This new initiative also serves as a platform to strengthen the bond among members of CUHK.

Profiles of Alumni-in-Residence invited for 2021

Mr. Eric Chan Cho-biu joined the Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings Limited (HKET) in 1988. He is the Publisher of HKET and other publications under the Group. Mr. Chan is the Group Director of Content, responsible for the editorial and content development of the Group’s various publications and channels. He was elected as the first Chairman of Journalism Education Foundation Hong Kong and awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2007.

Ms. Quince Chong Wai-yan joined CLP Power Hong Kong Limited as Chief Corporate Development Officer in 2012, overseeing the functions of customer and business development, public affairs, and community relationship. She is also responsible for all communication matters in public affairs and sustainability development of the CLP Group. Ms. Chong has over 30 years of experience in corporate communications and customer services and held a number of senior management positions in the industry of tourism, hotel and aviation. Before joining CLP Power Hong Kong Limited, Ms. Chong was Director Corporate Affairs in Cathay Pacific Airways. She was named among the 100 most important in-house communicators in the world in the Holmes Report’s Influence 100 in 2011.

Mr. Lo Ting-fai has been the Director and General Manager of HK Television Entertainment Company Limited, since it was founded. Mr. Lo joined PCCW group in 2010 and has served the company in various capacities in the past 10 years, including Senior Vice President of Strategy and management positions in the areas of production, programming and advertising revenue. Prior to that, Mr. Lo was the Creative Director of Apple Inc. and had previously worked in Hong Kong, Shanghai, the United States and the United Kingdom. Mr. Lo graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social science from CUHK with first class honours. He also holds a master’s degree in science from Oxford University and is an alumnus of Harvard Business School.