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The CUHK Distinguished Alumni-in-Residence Programme 2019 (“the Programme”) takes place from today (3 October) to 5 October on CUHK campus. Alumnus Norman T.L. Chan, who has just retired from the position of Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), has been invited to return to his alma mater for a series of activities and interact with students, staff and alumni of the University.

The opening ceremony was held today, drawing the participation of over 200 CUHK staff members, students and alumni. Officiating at the opening ceremony, Professor Fanny M.C. Cheung, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President of CUHK, expressed in her welcoming address, her heartfelt gratitude for Norman Chan’s support of his alma mater. Professor Cheung said, “Norman’s significant achievements and commendable contributions to the economic and social development of Hong Kong are widely acknowledged. We are so proud to have such a distinguished alumnus in CUHK, and hope that his early life at CUHK was of inspiration to him when encountering crossroads in his life.”

After the opening ceremony, Mr Chan gave a keynote speech on “Crossroads in Life”. He looked back at his career and talked about how he tackled the crisis and challenges encountered during his career journey. “Determination is the key when making important decisions,” he said. “Hard work is no guarantee to success; yet failure is definite should you choose to give up.” He encouraged the audience to seize every opportunity to achieve their goals.

The 3-day Programme consists of a series of activities. In the coming days, Mr Chan will host a master class “Fin Tech — the Innovation and Challenges in the Financial Sector”, a business lecture “It Works for Me: Life Lessons from Norman Chan” and another keynote speech “Hong Kong: International Financial Centre and Future Prospects’’. He will also participate in a basketball friendly match with staff, students and alumni. For details of the Programme, please visit http://www.alumni.cuhk.edu.hk/darp

After graduating from the Department of Sociology, Chung Chi College, CUHK in 1976, Mr Chan joined the Hong Kong Government as an Administrative Officer and became Deputy Director (Monetary Management) of the Office of the Exchange Fund in 1991. He was appointed as Executive Director of HKMA when it was established in 1993, and served as Deputy Chief Executive from 1996 to 2005. He was appointed as Chief Executive of HKMA from October 2009 to September 2019.During his tenure, Mr Chan steered a number of major financial policies and initiatives, including the development of Hong Kong’s financial infrastructure, the introduction of renminbi banking services in Hong Kong and the financial co-operation among central banks in the Asian region. He played a key role in the Government market operations in 1998 that helped maintain the stability of Hong Kong’s financial system. Prior to rejoining HKMA, Mr Chan was Vice Chairman, Asia of Standard Chartered Bank from December 2005 to June 2007, and Director of the Chief Executive’s Office of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government from July 2007 to July 2009. He was the Founding Chairman of the policy think tank, the Bauhinia Foundation Research Centre, established in 2006.

About the Distinguished Alumni-in-Residence Programme (the “Programme”)

The Programme is a new initiative launched by CUHK in 2018. It 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) and staff. Each year, one or two distinguished alumnus / alumna, either based locally or abroad, 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, group discussions, gatherings and outreach activities. Through this Programme, the invited alumnus / alumna can join the alma mater and continue to live the mission and vision of the University by inspiring the CUHK community in various ways and enriching the intellectual atmosphere as well as the learning experience in the campus. This new initiative also helps serve as a force and a basis for making our current students, staff and alumni closer and stronger.