In my message this month, I would like to focus on the theme of our Annual Celebration 2023 – upping our game. The Celebration, held at the Hong Kong Club last month,
was the first time in three years that our Institute has been able to host a large-scale, in-person gathering. While Covid-19 has certainly not disappeared over the horizon, the event hints at the long-awaited return to normality that we have all been hoping for.
The evening looked back at the achievements of the past year, but also forward to the work ahead of us to continually ‘up our game’ as a premier professional body in governance. In 2022, our professional development schedule included over 90 CPD training sessions and four major forums – our Climate Change Conference, Annual Corporate and Regulatory Update (ACRU), Corporate Governance Conference and AML/CFT Conference. While all of this was going on, we also found time to launch a new brand identity and strategic position!
2023 will be no less energetic, however. We will be running our annual flagship events, including the ACRU and AML/ CFT forums mentioned above. The year will also see the launch of a new forum – our inaugural Family Office Conference in September.
We will also be launching two new certification courses. The first batch of our ESG Reporting Certification Course will run from February to April and the second batch from June to September. Our AML/CFT Certification Course will run in the second half of the year. Both courses will give participants not only comprehensive training in the relevant subjects, but will also lead to a certificate and a post-nominal, valid for two years, that will help them demonstrate their skills and knowledge in these critical areas to prospective employers. Their names and postnominals will be listed on the Institute’s website for public search.
2023 will also see the completion of our director training series (Director training – a focus on INEDs), launched in November 2022. This series is a collaboration with Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd (HKEX). Both HKEX and our Institute recognise the key role that director training plays in ensuring that boards remain informed and effective. If you haven’t already done so, I recommend you sign up for the two remaining sessions on 17 February and 17 March. These are hybrid events, so you can register for physical or online participation via our website.
2023 will also see the continuation of our research and thought leadership work. This month’s edition of your journal reviews the Institute’s latest research paper, Legal Developments in Directors’ Duties and ESG – What Every Hong Kong Company Director Should Know, published in collaboration with Ben McQuhae & Co. The paper focuses on the very timely topic of the potential personal liability that directors face if they fail to effectively oversee the ESG function.
To conclude, I would like to thank everyone who has supported, and continues to support, our work. Participants at our Celebration included key representatives of government and regulatory bodies. Our Guest of Honour at the event was The Honourable Christopher Hui Ching-yu GBS JP, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, and his speech is reprinted in this edition of CGj.
Other participants included our peers and colleagues from educational institutions and fellow professional firms and institutes. The event was also attended by past chairmen and presidents, Council members, our Secretariat team, graduates, guests and friends. Our Institute deeply appreciates and thanks all of those who have worked for and with us to promote better governance in Hong Kong and the Mainland. I look forward to the work ahead of us in continuing to up our game in the core areas of our work – education, professional development and thought leadership.
was the first time in three years that our Institute has been able to host a large-scale, in-person gathering. While Covid-19 has certainly not disappeared over the horizon, the event hints at the long-awaited return to normality that we have all been hoping for.
The evening looked back at the achievements of the past year, but also forward to the work ahead of us to continually ‘up our game’ as a premier professional body in governance. In 2022, our professional development schedule included over 90 CPD training sessions and four major forums – our Climate Change Conference, Annual Corporate and Regulatory Update (ACRU), Corporate Governance Conference and AML/CFT Conference. While all of this was going on, we also found time to launch a new brand identity and strategic position!
2023 will be no less energetic, however. We will be running our annual flagship events, including the ACRU and AML/ CFT forums mentioned above. The year will also see the launch of a new forum – our inaugural Family Office Conference in September.
We will also be launching two new certification courses. The first batch of our ESG Reporting Certification Course will run from February to April and the second batch from June to September. Our AML/CFT Certification Course will run in the second half of the year. Both courses will give participants not only comprehensive training in the relevant subjects, but will also lead to a certificate and a post-nominal, valid for two years, that will help them demonstrate their skills and knowledge in these critical areas to prospective employers. Their names and postnominals will be listed on the Institute’s website for public search.
2023 will also see the completion of our director training series (Director training – a focus on INEDs), launched in November 2022. This series is a collaboration with Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd (HKEX). Both HKEX and our Institute recognise the key role that director training plays in ensuring that boards remain informed and effective. If you haven’t already done so, I recommend you sign up for the two remaining sessions on 17 February and 17 March. These are hybrid events, so you can register for physical or online participation via our website.
2023 will also see the continuation of our research and thought leadership work. This month’s edition of your journal reviews the Institute’s latest research paper, Legal Developments in Directors’ Duties and ESG – What Every Hong Kong Company Director Should Know, published in collaboration with Ben McQuhae & Co. The paper focuses on the very timely topic of the potential personal liability that directors face if they fail to effectively oversee the ESG function.
To conclude, I would like to thank everyone who has supported, and continues to support, our work. Participants at our Celebration included key representatives of government and regulatory bodies. Our Guest of Honour at the event was The Honourable Christopher Hui Ching-yu GBS JP, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, and his speech is reprinted in this edition of CGj.
Other participants included our peers and colleagues from educational institutions and fellow professional firms and institutes. The event was also attended by past chairmen and presidents, Council members, our Secretariat team, graduates, guests and friends. Our Institute deeply appreciates and thanks all of those who have worked for and with us to promote better governance in Hong Kong and the Mainland. I look forward to the work ahead of us in continuing to up our game in the core areas of our work – education, professional development and thought leadership.
