Hong Kong Launches First Sustainability Governance Academy

HONG KONG, July 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Hong Kong Chartered Governance Institute (HKCGI), the renowned governance leader in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, today announces the launch of its HKCGI Sustainability Governance Academy. The Academy’s launch has drawn the support of Hong Kong regulators and senior sustainability professionals at major corporations.

Ms Julia Leung SBS JP, CEO of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), extended her wishes for the launch, saying, “Congratulations to HKCGI on launching the Sustainability Governance Academy with a vision to promote the sharing of best practices and experiences. Hong Kong stands to benefit from this new platform through enhanced expertise and leadership in sustainable finance.”

The theme of the Academy, launching at the HKEX Connect Hall on 31 July 2024 at 5 pm, is “sustainability governance in Hong Kong“. It seeks to tackle sustainability holistically, beyond compliance, to assist companies and organisations in achieving profitable and sustainable growth. Ms Leung added, “The strategic decision to integrate sustainability considerations into business operations requires a strong commitment to creating long-term value. Company secretaries and sustainability professionals play critical roles in corporations and therefore in unlocking opportunities for sustainable business development.”

The Academy is the next phase following HKCGI’s launch of an ESG Reporting Certification Course in February 2023, which has drawn more than 1,400 participants up to June 2024. They and future graduates from HKCGI’s ESG Reporting Certification Course – which is open to the public – are eligible to join the Academy to become HKCGI Sustainability Governance Professionals under a searchable database for recognition of their talent and expertise – as trained and HKCGI accredited specialists armed with the knowledge to comply with ESG and sustainability standards, including reporting under the Listing Rules and disclosing climate change.

The Course is updated as new developments occur such as regulatory changes. A new version incorporating the latest climate-related disclosure requirements will be open for registration on 1 August 2024.

With its talent pool, the Academy seeks to establish itself as a major powerhouse that influences governance regulations and practices in Hong Kong and beyond, including through its affiliation with The Chartered Governance Institute (CGI).

Mr David Simmonds FCG HKFCG, Institute President, stated, “For businesses to succeed over the long-term they have to make a positive, lasting impact on society, customers, investors, partners, and employees. Sustainability governance is an essential enabler of long-term business success. I am excited to support the establishment of the HKCGI Sustainability Governance Academy and look forward to the platform that it will provide for expertise sharing, training, and the voice it will give to those working in sustainability here in Hong Kong.”

Ms Ellie Pang FCG HKFCG(PE), Institute Chief Executive, stated, “As the established authority for governance in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, we wanted to integrate our knowledge of governance with the important field of sustainability, which includes the obligations for entities to improve their ESG performance and reporting.” She added, “After examining what was available in Hong Kong regarding the nexus of governance and sustainability, we realised there was an opportunity to offer a new platform for sustainability professionals and advocates to explore the many facets of ESG by sharing ideas and best practices.”

The Academy will be launched in the presence of Mr Michael Duignan, SFC’s Executive Director, Corporate Finance Division, Ms Kelly Lee, HKEX Senior Vice President, Policy and Secretariat Services, Listing Division and six Advisory Board members (bios below) following a pre-launch seminar:

• Ms Pru Bennett, Brunswick Group, Partner
• Ms Teresa Ko, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Senior Partner, Hong Kong; IFRS Foundation, Vice-chair  
• Mr Ernest Lee, Deloitte China, Technical Partner
• Ms Gill Meller, MTR Corporation Limited, Legal and Governance Director
• Ms Edith Shih, CK Hutchison Holdings Limited, Executive Director and Company Secretary
• Mr David Simmonds, CLP Holdings Limited, Chief Strategy, Sustainability and Governance Officer

About The Hong Kong Chartered Governance Institute

香港公司治理公會

(Incorporated in Hong Kong with limited liability by guarantee)

The Hong Kong Chartered Governance Institute (HKCGI), formerly known as The Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries (HKICS), is the only qualifying institution in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong for the internationally recognised Chartered Secretary and Chartered Governance Professional qualifications.

With over 75 years of history and as the Hong Kong/China Division of The Chartered Governance Institute (CGI), the Institute’s reach and professional recognition extends to all of CGI’s nine divisions, with about 40,000 members and students worldwide. HKCGI is one of the fastest growing divisions of CGI, having over 10,000 members, graduates and students with significant representations within listed companies and other cross-industry governance functions.

Believing that better governance leads to better decisions for a better world, HKCGI’s mission is to advance governance in commerce, industry, and public affairs through education, thought leadership, advocacy, and engagement with members and the broader community. As recognised thought leaders in our field, the Institute educates and advocates for the highest standards in governance and promotes an expansive approach that considers all stakeholders’ interests.

ESG Reporting Certification Course

Better Governance. Better Future.

For more information, please visit www.hkcgi.org.hk.

Bios of HKCGI Sustainability Governance Academy Advisory Board Members

Ms Pru Bennett
Partner, Brunswick Group

Pru Bennett is a Partner of the Brunswick Group based in Sydney. Pru advises boards in the APAC region on critical governance as well as environmental and social issues. Pru also holds the following positions:

Chair of the National Foundation for Australia China Relations
Member of the Financial Reporting Council
Council member of the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Corporate Advisory Council,
Council member Asian Corporate Governance Association
Member of the Oasis Capital Advisory Council

Former positions

Board member UN Global Compact Network Australia (2019 – 2024)
Member of the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong’s Public Shareholder Group (six-year term completed in 2021)
Board member of the Value Reporting Foundation (merged with the IFRS in November 2022 to form the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB))

Career Summary
Managing Director and Head of Investment Stewardship BlackRock Inc (2010 – 2019)

Until January, 2019, Ms Bennett was a Managing Director at the world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock, and Head of BlackRock’s Investment Stewardship team for the APAC Region based in Hong Kong. At BlackRock Ms Bennett was responsible for leading a team engaging with boards of BlackRock’s investee companies on ESG issues. Ms Bennett also oversaw the proxy voting process.

Ms Bennett is an active participant in the public debate on corporate governance and stewardship. In 2018, she received the Asia Industry Leadership Award from 100 Women in Finance. In 2013, she was named as one of Australia’s top 10 Women of Influence in Corporate Governance.

Ms Bennett is a keen sailor participating in Laser Masters sailing and yacht racing at the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, Newport, Sydney.

Ms Teresa Ko BBS JP FCG HKFCG
Senior Partner, Hong Kong, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer; Vice-chair, IFRS Foundation 

Teresa Ko BBS JP FCG HKFCG is a Senior Partner at Freshfields, Hong Kong, and acts as a Vice-chair at IFRS Foundation.  Described as ‘an icon in the industry’, Ms Ko is one of the most prominent corporate and securities lawyers in Hong Kong.

She is the founding partner of Freshfields’ Asia equity capital markets practice and has helped numerous Chinese state-owned, privately-owned and international companies to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE), including advising on eight out of the ten largest IPOs in Hong Kong. She also has an impressive record on public and private M&A transactions and advises on joint ventures and corporate governance matters.

Among her many public service appointments, Ms Ko currently serves as vice-chair of the IFRS Foundation Trustees and as chair of its Due Process Oversight Committee. She was also a member of the Trustee Sustainability Steering Committee which oversaw the establishment of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB).

She was the first female to chair the HKSE’s Listing Committee between 2009 and 2011 and was deputy chair for three years before then. She currently serves as co-chair of the HKSE’s Listing Review Committee and a deputy chair of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC)’s Takeovers and Mergers Panel. She also served as a non-executive director of the SFC in 2012 to 2018.

Amongst her many accolades, Ms Ko was recently recognised as a HERoes Executive Role Model in 2022 for the fifth consecutive year. She was also named in IFLR1000 Women Leaders 2022 – an elite ranking for the most prominent women lawyers globally and in Forbes’ ‘Asia’s Power Businesswomen’ list 2021.

Mr Ernest Lee FCG HKFCG(PE)
Immediate Past President, HKCGI; and Technical Partner, Deloitte China

Ernest Lee FCG HKFCG(PE) is a Technical Partner of Deloitte China. Mr Lee serves some of the largest audit engagements of the Firm. With extensive experience in the accounting profession, he provides valuable technical advice on matters related to accounting, auditing and governance for companies in various industries in Hong Kong, Mainland China and the Asia-Pacific area. He is a CPA (Practising) and a Fellow of the ICAEW and ACCA.

Mr Lee is the Immediate Past President of HKCGI. He is currently the Chairman of the Audit Committee, and a member of the Nomination Committee and Mainland China Affairs Committee of HKCGI. He represents the Institute on the Services Advisory Committee of the Official Receiver’s Office.

Mr Lee has actively contributed to setting financial reporting standards locally and internationally. He is the Immediate Past Chairman (2019 – 2021) of the Financial Reporting Standards Committee of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA). The Committee is responsible for setting financial reporting standards in Hong Kong. He is currently a member of various HKICPA’s Advisory Panels on financial and sustainability reporting matters, including the Companies Ordinance (Financial Reporting) Advisory Panel, and Sustainability Advisory Panel. In addition, he is currently a Convenor of the Financial Reporting Review Panel of the Accounting and Financial Reporting Council.

Mr Lee is a member of the Listing Committee of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, and a member of the Standing Committee on Company Law Reform of the HKSAR Government. As an advocate of education, Mr Lee is a Professional Advisor to the Executive Master of Accounting programme of Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.

Ms Gill Meller FCG HKFCG(PE)
International Vice President, CGI, Past President, HKCGI; and Legal and Governance Director, MTR Corporation Limited

Gill Meller FCG HKFCG(PE) is MTR Corporation Limited’s Legal and Governance Director. Ms Meller is responsible for overseeing the Company’s legal, company secretarial, insurance and risk management functions and a central procurement and supply chain function. She is also responsible for leading the Company’s assurance function with the aim of providing a strengthened second line of defence across key risk areas of the Company and for leading MTR’s overall ESG strategy.

Ms Meller graduated from Hertford College, University of Oxford and obtained her postgraduate qualifications in law from The College of Law in the United Kingdom. She is qualified to practise as a solicitor in Hong Kong and England and Wales.

Ms Meller is an International Vice President of The Chartered Governance Institute, Past President and Ex-officio Council Member of HKCGI. She is also a Vice Chairman of the Legal Committee of The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. She is also a member of the Listing Committee of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited and an Independent Director of the Hong Kong, China Rugby.

Ms Edith Shih FCG(CS, CGP) HKFCG(CS, CGP)(PE)
Past International President, CGI; Honorary Adviser to Council and Past President, HKCGI; and Executive Director and Company Secretary, CK Hutchison Holdings Limited

Edith Shih FCG(CS, CGP) HKFCG(CS, CGP)(PE), Solicitor, is Executive Director and Company Secretary of CK Hutchison Holdings Limited, a Fortune 500 company with operations in over 50 countries. Ms Shih has been with the CK Hutchison Group for over 30 years, overseeing legal, regulatory, corporate finance and compliance matters.

Ms Shih is the recipient of a number of awards in the legal field, including the first Hong Kong In-House Lawyer of the Year Award in 2006, the first Asian Woman in Business Law Award of the Legal Media Group in 2011, General Counsel of the Year Award of International Law Offices in 2014 and the Hong Kong In-House Lawyer Award of the Year in 2016.

Ms Shih holds Master’s degrees from Teacher’s College, Columbia University. She is qualified to practise law in England, Wales, Hong Kong and Victoria, Australia.

She was Past International President of The Chartered Governance Institute (2018 – 2020) and Past President of The Hong Kong Chartered Governance Institute (2011 – 2014).

In addition to her work commitment, she is the Chairman of the Process Review Panel of The Hong Kong Accounting and Financial Reporting Council, and Member of the Executive Committee and Council of Hong Kong Management Association. Further, she is a Trustee of Teachers College, Columbia University, Council Member of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Governor of the Board of the English Schools Foundation.

Mr David Simmonds FCG HKFCG
President, HKCGI; and Chief Strategy, Sustainability and Governance Officer, CLP Holdings Limited

David Simmonds FCG HKFCG is the Chief Strategy, Sustainability and Governance Officer for CLP Holdings Limited. Mr Simmonds is responsible for CLP Group strategic planning and the strategy agenda as well as driving the Group’s sustainability agenda and ensuring that it is embedded into the business.

Mr Simmonds is also responsible for managing the Group’s Venture Capital and Research function, the Group’s investments in Taiwan Region and Thailand and the Group’s property development activities. In addition, Mr Simmonds is the Company Secretary of CLP Holdings and leads the team responsible for legal, corporate governance and insurance services across the Group.

Mr Simmonds is the President of The Hong Kong Chartered Governance Institute (HKCGI) and is a Fellow of both The Chartered Governance Institute and HKCGI. He is the Chair of the Task Force on Energy for the UN ESCAP Sustainable Business Network, a Board Director of The Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and Macau and a member of The Asia Society.

Mr Simmonds is also a member of the Standing Committee on Company Law Reform, the Hong Kong Advisory Committee of The Fred Hollows Foundations and a Director of Business Environment Council. Mr Simmonds holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Commerce from The University of Melbourne.

Source : Hong Kong Launches First Sustainability Governance Academy

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