19 April, 2023
CGj reviews a new certification course run by the Institute designed to upskill governance professionals in the fast-evolving ESG and sustainability areas of practice. The stark headline in the 26 January 2023 edition of the South China Morning Post was...
19 April, 2023
CGj interviews Edith Shih FCG(CS, CGP) HKFCG(CS, CGP)(PE), Past International President and Institute Past President, and Executive Director and Company Secretary, CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd, on the key insights her company has gained in the process of developing its...
19 April, 2023
The second session of the new director training series launched by the Institute, in collaboration with Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd (HKEX), highlighted the risks and rewards of the independent non-executive director (INED) role. As members of the board who...
19 April, 2023
Directors have a unique role to play in promoting a culture of compliance in the companies they work for. At the second session of the Institute’s new directors’ training series, speakers from Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd (HKEX) highlighted the regulator’s...
19 April, 2023
In this second and final extract from the Best Paper of the Institute’s latest Corporate Governance Paper Competition, the authors consider how better governance can lead to a better future and how tensions within that process can be resolved. The Institute’s annual...
19 April, 2023
In this second and final part of their article on the Mainland’s new Overseas Listing Regime, Benran Huang, Managing Associate, Moge Chen, Associate, and Alex Guo, Associate, Zhao Sheng Law Firm (Linklaters’ joint operation partner in the Mainland), discuss the...
19 April, 2023
Skills for sustainability Click here or on the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full...
25 April, 2022
On the 30th anniversary of the launch of the UK’s Cadbury Code, which pioneered the ‘comply or explain’ approach to principles-based regulation, CGj looks at the effectiveness and appropriate role of this approach in Hong Kong. The UK’s Report of the Committee on the...
25 April, 2022
In 2018, Hong Kong brought in changes to its listing regime. CGj interviews Paul Lau, Head of Capital Markets and Professional Practice, KPMG China, on whether the governance safeguards built into the new regime are proving to be effective. Many thanks for giving us...
25 April, 2022
In a two-part article, ESG consultants Theodora Thunder and Dr Glenn Frommer examine current ESG developments and practices in the global venture capital industry. In this first part of our article, we explore the business case for adopting environmental, social and...
25 April, 2022
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data provides new guidance on ensuring data security and personal data privacy when implementing work-from-home arrangements. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) has published a guidance...
25 April, 2022
This second and final part of the Best Paper of the latest Corporate Governance Paper Competition, held by the Institute, identifies the challenges involved in taking the stakeholder approach, and provides solutions for corporations to identify, implement and disclose...
25 April, 2022
Principles-based regulation – Is it working? Click here or on the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full...
23 April, 2021
Ahead of a proposed name change for The Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries (the Institute), CSj takes a look at the evolution of the company secretarial role and what the future might hold for members of the governance profession in Hong Kong. Later this...
23 April, 2021
The winner of the HKICS Prize 2020, Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Ada Chung Lai-ling FCG FCS, highlights some key regulatory and governance issues practitioners need to pay close attention to now and in the years ahead. Thanks for giving us this interview....
23 April, 2021
Ashley Alder SBS JP, Chief Executive Officer, Securities and Futures Commission, and Chair of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), highlights the convergence of a number of initiatives to create a harmonised, global reporting framework for...
23 April, 2021
CSj highlights the latest additions to the guidance note series of The Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries (the Institute), providing guidance on digital transformation, competition compliance and the disclosure of inside information. The Institute’s seven...
23 April, 2021
CSj looks at a new consultation issued by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd (HKEX) seeking public feedback on proposals to enhance and streamline the listing regime for overseas issuers. In a new public consultation, published on 31 March 2021, Hong Kong Exchanges...
23 April, 2021
Kwok Kit Cheung, Partner, Deacons, looks at a recent case in the Court of First Instance that highlights the high thresholds relevant to obtaining leave to appeal against an arbitral award in Hong Kong. In the recent case of MC v SC, HCCT 17/2020, a main contractor...
23 April, 2021
What is your role as a governance professional? ‘I am a Hong Kong-qualified fund formation lawyer. I advise fund managers and sponsors on structuring, establishing and launching their funds with various investment strategies, and on their ongoing compliance matters. I...
23 April, 2021
What is your role as a governance professional? ‘I am currently the Executive Director of the Corporate Services Division of Vistra Hong Kong. Vistra Hong Kong is the headquarters of the Vistra Group, which employs some 4,600 professionals. It has a physical presence...
23 April, 2021
A governance calling – Repositioning the profession Click here or on the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full...
23 April, 2020
CSj gets advice on what it takes to make a career in the not-for-profit sector. Hong Kong has seen a tumultuous few months with an economy in recession, the ongoing social protests and the current COVID-19 outbreak. The impact on the not-for-profit (NFP) sector has...
23 April, 2020
The winner of The Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries (HKICS) Prize 2019, Edith Shih FCG(CS, CGP) FCS(CS, CGP)(PE) International President, The Chartered Governance Institute, and former HKICS President, looks at the road ahead for the profession under the...
23 April, 2020
The Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries Regional Board Secretary Panel (RBSP) Roundtable Meeting (RBSP Meeting), held on 16 January 2020 in Hong Kong, focused on new deregulatory changes relating to the notice period for convening general meetings of Mainland...
23 April, 2020
PH Chik, Solicitor and Legal Adviser to the Mainland China Technical Consultation Panel of The Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries (the Institute), completes his two-part article in CSj looking at the major similarities and differences between the inside...
23 April, 2020
Gabriela Kennedy, Partner, and Cheng Hau Yeo, Associate, Mayer Brown, offer legal strategies for addressing coronavirus phishing scams in Hong Kong. As COVID-19 spreads around the world, so are phishing scams or the infection of computer systems with malware through...
23 April, 2020
Barbara Chiu, Partner, and Nichole Hou, Counsel, King & Wood Mallesons, highlight the implications of a Court of Appeal judgment, recently affirmed by the Court of Final Appeal, regarding the burden and standard of proof required in Market Misconduct Tribunal...
23 April, 2020
Dear members, graduates, students and Affiliated Persons, In view of the challenges of COVID-19, and as a caring professional Institute, Council has decided to provide the following relief to show care and concern to all of you during these challenging times. Reduce...
23 April, 2020
Governance with purpose – working for not-for-profits Click here or on the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full...
11 April, 2019
Rebecca Walker Chan, Sustainability Advisor, The Purpose Business, argues that while new communication tools and channels can give sustainability reports more impact and relevance to their audience, the fundamentals for successful sustainability reporting remain the...
11 April, 2019
How well would your environmental, social and governance (ESG) report hold up under the critical analysis of an ESG professional? Dr Glenn Frommer and Theodora Thunder, Principals, The Sustainability Partnership, share some insights into what they look for in a good...
11 April, 2019
Echo Li, Head of Corporate Secretarial, TMF East China, explains how to apply the three negative lists that define the current prohibitions and restrictions on business activities in Mainland China. Mainland China is a dynamic market undergoing constant change and...
11 April, 2019
A new study released by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data assesses how well organisations in Hong Kong have implemented the accountability principle through their Privacy Management Programmes. A new study released by the Office of the Privacy...
11 April, 2019
Paul Starr, Suraj Sajnani, Dong Long, King & Wood Mallesons, give some top tips for Hong Kong companies’ dispute management following the signing of a ground-breaking arrangement that broadens the scope of judgments which may be enforced between Mainland China...
11 April, 2019
Can you remain silent upon receiving a Section 181 notice? Wynne Mok, Partner, and Jonathan Kao, Associate, Slaughter and May, highlight the implications of the recent judicial review application – AA & Anor v The Securities and Futures Commission. Cooperation...
11 April, 2019
Sustainability reporting in the digital age Click here or on the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full edition....
12 April, 2018
A new report published by the Institute investigates the shareholder communications practices of listed companies in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. The Institute launched a research project two years ago to assess the importance given to...
12 April, 2018
The winner of the HKICS Prize 2017, Natalia Seng FCIS FCS(PE), Chief Executive Officer – China and Hong Kong, Tricor Group/Tricor Services Ltd, and Institute Past President, shares her thoughts on the art of governance and the future of the company secretary role....
12 April, 2018
Dr Glenn Frommer and Theodora Thunder, Principals, The Sustainability Partnership, offer advice to governance professionals on how to understand the drivers and processes used to manage ESG risk. Such an understanding is vital when it comes to successfully reporting...
12 April, 2018
Alan Linning, Susanne Harris and Sara Or, Partners at Mayer Brown JSM, assess the latest guidance from the Securities and Futures Commission on the benefits of co-operating in its investigation and enforcement proceedings. On 12 December 2017, the Securities and...
12 April, 2018
In July 2016, the Institute set up seven Interest Groups under the Technical Consultation Panel to produce guidance notes on key topics in governance and company secretarial practice. CSj reviews the latest additions to this series. Since its launch in 2016, the...
12 April, 2018
Windson Li, Partner, and Shan Yu, Tax Consultant, DLA Piper, look at the key features of Hong Kong’s first comprehensive legislation designed to tackle transfer pricing and base erosion and profit shifting. The Hong Kong government gazetted an unprecedented tax...
12 April, 2018
CSj reviews the key points in the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong consultation paper proposing new rules to expand Hong Kong’s listing regime to facilitate listings of companies from emerging and innovative sectors. The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Ltd (the Exchange), a...
12 April, 2018
Shareholder communications – The view from SouthEast Asia Click here or on the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full edition....
13 April, 2017
This month sees the implementation of the Securities and Futures Commission’s (SFC’s) ‘Managers in Charge Regime’ (MICR) for all licensed corporations. Veronique Marquis and Catriona Kellas, of Eversheds, look at the compliance implications for...
13 April, 2017
The winner of the HKICS Prize 2016, Gordon Jones FCIS FCS BBS, Hong Kong’s former Registrar of Companies, was closely involved in putting in place Hong Kong’s current statutory and regulatory infrastructure. In this interview with CSj, he points out that...
13 April, 2017
There have been numerous changes to Hong Kong’s Corporate Governance Code that require companies to adapt quickly. Kanus Yue, Risk Assurance Partner, PwC Hong Kong, highlights the findings of a recent PwC study designed to assist listed companies to comply with...
13 April, 2017
Tow Lu Lim and Sara Or, partners of Mayer Brown JSM in Hong Kong, assess the implications of the new guidance note issued by the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) imposing more stringent corporate governance standards on authorised insurers in Hong Kong....
13 April, 2017
The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has prioritised listed company malfeasance for enforcement action. As a result, listed companies and their directors will come under increasing scrutiny as to how they manage price-sensitive information. Timothy Loh,...
13 April, 2017
Accountability – Making it personal Click here or on the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full edition. ...
12 April, 2016
Christine Chow, Associate Director, Hermes EOS, Hermes Investment Management, takes a look at the benefits of a constructive dialogue between investors and companies. Have you ever wondered what happens to the mandatory provident fund contributions that are deducted...
12 April, 2016
CSj reviews the finalised draft of Hong Kong’s new investor code which seeks to provide guidance on how investors should fulfil their ownership responsibilities in relation to investments in Hong Kong listed companies. There is currently no guidance in Hong Kong...
12 April, 2016
CSj interviews the winner of the 2015 HKICS Prize – Anthony Rogers GSB QC JP FCIS FCS, former Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of Hong Kong and Chairman of the Standing Committee on Company Law Reform. Congratulations on receiving the HKICS prize – can we start...
12 April, 2016
Most people associate the Chartered Secretarial qualification with the job of an in-house company secretary of a listed company, but the qualification can lead to many different career paths. In this first interview in our new ‘Career Paths’ series, James Wong,...
12 April, 2016
So you’ve been asked to join a board? You’ll surely do your own due diligence, but beware of a potentially dangerous threat: your own brain. I often ask senior executives and experienced directors if they want to join the board of a hypothetical company. I disguise...
12 April, 2016
Not gone paperless in the boardroom yet? Phillip Baldwin, Director ICSA Boardroom Apps (HK) Ltd, hopes to change your mind. There are many digital meeting solutions on the market, some better than others and a lot has been written about why companies should go...
12 April, 2016
Mark Johnson, Partner, Debevoise & Plimpton, looks at the recent decision by the Court of First Instance in The Securities and Futures Commission v Young Bik Fung and Others which has expanded the insider dealing regime in Hong Kong. The Court of First Instance...
12 April, 2016
Responsible ownership – Why companies need engaged investors Click here or on the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full...
7 April, 2015
CSj takes a look at recent revisions to Hong Kong’s Corporate Governance Code designed, among other things, to clarify that the board has an ongoing responsibility to oversee companies’ risk management and internal control systems. If the global financial...
7 April, 2015
CSj looks at new proposals by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) to encourage proactive engagement between investors and publicly listed companies in Hong Kong. Hong Kong, like many developed markets around the world, operates a disclosure-based regulatory...
7 April, 2015
Last year the Australian division of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) changed its name to Governance Institute of Australia (GIA). CSj interviews Tim Sheehy, Chief Executive of the GIA, about the rationale behind the rebranding...
7 April, 2015
For the first time since the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance came into force in 1996, an individual has received a jail sentence for breach of the Ordinance. The Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO) protects the personal data of living individuals. Any person...
7 April, 2015
EY has been conducting a yearly Global Information Security Survey (GISS) for 17 years. The key observations and views from the latest survey are shared in this article. Cyber threats are increasing in their 2. levels of persistence, sophistication and organisation....
7 April, 2015
Risk and opportunity Click here or on the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full...
5 April, 2014
What does the new Companies Ordinance have to say about conflicts of interest? What should you do if your chairman has declared an interest in a matter under consideration by the board? Does the practice of ‘wearing different hats’, as a method of segregating an...
5 April, 2014
Gordon Jones FCIS FCS, former Registrar of Companies, gives CSj a behind-the-scenes account of the most ambitious and complex law reform process in Hong Kong’s recent history – the Companies Ordinance rewrite. Thanks for giving us this interview, what are your...
5 April, 2014
Ada Chung, Registrar of Companies, and Karen Ho, Deputy Principal Solicitor, Companies Ordinance Rewrite Team, Companies Registry, continue their series of articles looking at the major changes introduced by the new Companies Ordinance (Cap 622). In last month’s...
5 April, 2014
James Ratley, President and CEO of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, gives advice to company secretaries on understanding and identifying the red flags of potential fraud. Over the last several years, major global economic events have brought the concept...
5 April, 2014
Roy Lo, Deputy Managing Partner, Shinewing (HK) CPA Ltd, and Gloria So, Manager, Shinewing Risk Services Ltd, discuss ways to enhance corporate performance through board diversity. T here has been considerable discussion globally about the value of diversity on...
5 April, 2014
Q: The workload for company secretaries seems to be increasing – how will utilising a board portal simplify and streamline our processes? A: The role and level of responsibility held by company secretaries in Hong Kong is ever increasing. Similarly the workload of...
5 April, 2014
A confusion of hats? – Conflicts of interest and conflicts of roles Click here or on the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full...
7 April, 2013
Company secretaries are both employees and officers of companies as well as being gatekeepers tasked with giving independent advice on regulatory and corporate governance matters. This month CSj looks at the unique position of the company secretary in the corporate...
7 April, 2013
The annual HKICS Prize celebrates the achievements of leaders of the Chartered Secretary profession. The 2012 prize was awarded to HKICS past president John Brewer FCIS FCS, who played a pivotal role in building up the profession in Hong Kong during critical phases of...
7 April, 2013
CSj takes a look at an issue which has become one of the most contested debates of the Companies Ordinance rewrite exercise – the proposal to withhold from public inspection the full identity numbers of directors and their residential addresses based on a perceived...
7 April, 2013
Is mainland China moving towards a principles-based approach to regulation? This and other important corporate governance and regulatory issues on the mainland were discussed in the Institute’s latest China Corporate and Regulatory Update. The Institute has been...
7 April, 2013
Zhang Monan, Fellow of the China Information Center and of the China Foundation for International Studies, argues that only by combining growing consumption with enhanced manufacturing will mainland China be able to develop a new comparative advantage, which is the...
7 April, 2013
It is essential to be aware of the new requirements under Part VIA of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance when collecting personal data from clients for direct marketing. Failure to comply may result in offences and civil liability. This article is intended to...
7 April, 2013
Q: We are considering moving to a board portal service, will this mean more or less work for the company secretarial team when it comes to the preparation of board materials? A: With an online board portal, you can reduce your board material preparation time from days...
4 April, 2013
In-house gatekeeper? – The independence challenge Click here or on the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full...
7 April, 2012
Electronic incorporation has some obvious advantages over paperbased incorporation – it’s faster, more efficient and the whole process can be conducted from the serenity of your own laptop anywhere in the world, 24/ 7. So why, a year on from the Companies...
7 April, 2012
The new HKICS president, Edith Shih, is as comfortable singing operatic arias as she is discussing the latest issues confronting the Chartered Secretarial profession. In interview with CSj, she discusses her aspirations as president and recounts how a career in music...
7 April, 2012
The issue of the disclosure of price-sensitive information (PSI) by listed companies has been high on the agenda of company secretaries in Hong Kong as they prepare for the enactment of new statutory requirements later this year. The topic of the Institute’s...
7 April, 2012
There is only one way to really understand the PRC business environment and that is to live and work in mainland China. Zoe Chan So Yuen, Law Programme Director, HKU SPACE, looks at an increasingly popular option for gaining work experience in the PRC – secondment. A...
7 April, 2012
No more paperwork? – E-incorporation one year on Click here or on the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full...
