Business Environment Council Limited (“BEC”) hosted its flagship event, BEC EnviroSeries Conference, with the theme “Hong Kong's Green Gateway: Powering, Building and Connecting a Sustainable Belt and Road” on 28 November. This conference featured Mr Nicholas Ho, Commissioner for Belt and Road, as the Guest of Honour and keynote speaker. His presence underscored government support for initiatives related to the sustainable development of the Belt and Road. The event attracted close to 600 in-person and online participants, including government representatives, business leaders, entrepreneurs, industry experts, academics and other interested participants from Hong Kong and abroad.
In his opening address, Mr Kevin O’Brien, Chairman of BEC, remarked, “The Belt and Road Initiative has redrawn the map of global connectivity, and our imperative is to ensure this map is drawn in green. As an international financial centre and a vital gateway linking the Chinese Mainland with global markets, Hong Kong is exceptionally well placed to lead this green transition, leveraging its world-class financial infrastructure, engineering expertise, and innovation capabilities. This leadership role is reinforced by the HKSAR government’s commitment, as articulated in the Chief Executive’s 2025 Policy Address, to deepen green cooperation with Belt and Road economies.”
The Conference featured four inspiring sessions, namely “Driving Infrastructure and Engineering Excellence for a Sustainable Belt and Road”, “Developing Green Real Estate and Sustainable Communities in Emerging Economies”, “Charting a Just and Viable Energy Transition in Belt and Road Countries”, and “Smart Corridors, Global Connections: Forging the Future of Green and Intelligent Mobility”. Through these sessions, participants learnt of the innovative engineering practices and sustainable infrastructure models utilised in Belt and Road projects. They also gained insights about cutting-edge technologies and smart corridor designs, in addition to crucial strategies and technologies for implementing clean energy solutions across different regions. This collaborative atmosphere not only fostered valuable connections with industry leaders and peers, but also reinforced Hong Kong’s pivotal role in shaping a sustainable future on the international stage.
Mr Simon Ng, Chief Executive Officer of BEC, said, “I sincerely thank all speakers, panellists, moderators, sponsors, and supporting organisations for their contributions, which have been instrumental to the success of this conference and the advancement of a sustainable Belt and Road. As we continue to foster partnerships that support the Belt and Road initiative, BEC remains committed to working with our members and the business community to drive the green transformation in Hong Kong and beyond.”
Among the speakers, panellists and moderators at the Conference were (in order of appearance):
- Mr Kevin O’Brien, Chairman, Business Environment Council
- Mr Nicholas Ho, Commissioner for Belt and Road, The HKSAR government
- Mr Sunny Sun, Principal Environmental Protection Officer (Water Quality Management), Environmental Protection Department
- Dr Grace He, GreenSpace Tech – AP Ecosystem Lead, Deloitte
- Ms Celina Chan, Head of Sustainability & Sustainable Finance, OCBC Bank (Hong Kong) Limited
- Mr Vincent Cheng, Director, Arup
- Mr Augustine Yuen, Senior Business Development Manager, Veolia Hong Kong
- Ms Christine Lau, Vice President of Listing Policy and Secretariat Services, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited
- Mr Shu Zhu, Regional Director & China Representative, ICLEI East Asia Secretariat
- Ar Yvonne Leong, Associate Director, Leigh & Orange
- Ir CS Ho, Chief Executive Officer, BEAM Society Limited
- Mr Dennis Wu, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, AEC Group
- Dr Jason Tse, Associate Director, Burohappold International (Hong Kong) Ltd.
- Mr Patrick Ho, Head of Sustainable Development, Swire Properties Limited
- Ms Intan Zalani, Consul (Trade) MATRADE Hong Kong, Consulate General of Malaysia HK
- Mr Travis Kan, Director - Digital Energy, Power Products & Industrial Automation, Schneider Electric Hong Kong
- Mr Sandeep Sharma, Head of Business Development-Renewable Energy, Taiwan & Southeast Asia, CLP Holdings Limited
- Ms Serena Mak, Executive Director, Sustainable Finance, Institutional Banking Group, DBS Bank (Hong Kong)
- Mr David Fishman, Principal, The Lantau Group
- Mr Alex Sun, Chief Sustainability Officer, Envision Group
- Ms Suki Han, Assistant Manager - Policy and Research, Business Environment Council
- Mr Collin Chan, Director of Engineering, Airport Authority Hong Kong
- Mr Boyong Wang, China Director, Smart Freight Centre
- Ms Li Fan, ESG Manager, COSCO SHIPPING Ports Limited
- Mr Craig Tuckerman, VP, Global Business Development, OMS and OCM, DHL Global Forwarding
- Mr Simon Ng, Chief Executive Officer, Business Environment Council
EnviroSeries Conference is BEC’s flagship event that aims to provide a cross-sector forum for stakeholders to discuss and address key issues related to Hong Kong’s environmental sustainability, and serves as BEC’s key initiative for thought leadership development on important topical issues.
Mr Nicholas Ho, Commissioner for Belt and Road, delivers his keynote speech at BEC EnviroSeries Conference
Close to 600 business leaders and industry experts attend BEC EnviroSeries Conference to exchange insights and ideas