Business Environment Council Limited (“BEC”) successfully hosted its flagship EnviroSeries Conference on 28 May 2026. Centred on the theme “Blueprint for Green Prosperity: Financing Economy, Natural Capital, and Resilience in the Northern Metropolis”, the one-day event welcomed Mr David Lam, JP, Under Secretary for Development of the HKSAR, as Guest of Honour and keynote speaker for the morning session, alongside Ir Michael Fong, JP, Director of Civil Engineering and Development, who delivered the keynote address in the afternoon session. The conference gathered over 900 in-person and online participants including government representatives, business leaders, industry experts and academics from Hong Kong and abroad, to forge actionable green development and financing solutions that anchor the Northern Metropolis as Hong Kong’s new benchmark for sustainable urban growth.
Aligned with national development strategies and HKSAR Government’s substantial infrastructure investment for the Northern Metropolis, the conference was designed with three core strategic objectives. Firstly, it aims to harness the Public-Private-Philanthropic Partnerships (“PPPP”) model to unlock large-scale capital and address the key sustainable development and funding gaps of the megaproject. Secondly, it serves to showcase local enterprises’ case studies, proving how decarbonisation and natural capital preservation can be transformed into viable business growth drivers. Thirdly, the conference seeks to formulate holistic cross-industry climate resilience strategies, empowering enterprises and infrastructure operators to mitigate climate risks, secure supply chain stability and future-proof the region’s long-term operational sustainability.
In his opening address, Mr Kevin O’Brien, Chairman of BEC, stated, “The Northern Metropolis can be a showcase for turning green projects into investable assets. Investors look for policy certainty, de-risked structures, measurable impact, and clear exit pathways. They want to ensure projects protect the environment, co-exist harmoniously with nature, withstand climate risks, and deliver stable returns while contributing towards Hong Kong’s carbon neutrality goals. This is why PPPP is so critical today. It is a collaborative governance model that brings together the public sector’s policy mandate, the private sector’s efficiency and capital, and philanthropy’s mission-driven patience.”
The conference’s four thematic sessions covered the full spectrum of the Northern Metropolis’ green development priorities, spanning innovative sustainable financing mechanisms, green tech-driven industrial upgrading, natural capital commercialisation and systematic climate risk governance. Collectively, the discussions delivered practical, industry-backed insights and actionable collaborative strategies, turning the vision of green, resilient and economically vibrant urban development plan into implementable roadmaps that support Hong Kong’s 2050 carbon neutrality goal and national high-quality development requirements.
Mr Simon Ng, Chief Executive Officer of BEC, remarked, “Today’s conference has solidified the Northern Metropolis’ positioning as Hong Kong’s core blueprint for balanced green prosperity. We are encouraged by the strong participation and shared commitment from government, corporates, investors and professional bodies to advance sustainable finance, natural capital and climate resilience. Moving forward, BEC will mobilise cross-industry efforts through different initiatives, including BEC Net-zero Carbon Charter, to foster sustainable finance and climate resilience collaboration, and help turn the Northern Metropolis into a replicable global model for sustainable urban development.”
Among the speakers, panellists and moderators at the Conference were (in order of appearance):
- Mr Kevin O’Brien, Chairman, Business Environment Council
- Mr Alvis Kong, Partner, Deloitte
- Mr Merlin Lao, Head - Policy & Research, Business Environment Council
- Ms Tracy W. Harris, Executive Vice President, Hong Kong Green Finance Association; and Private Capital Mobilization Strategy Advisor, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (“AIIB”)
- Ms Frances Chen, Director, Sustainability and Climate Change, North Asia, HSBC
- Ms Sophie Le Clue, CEO, ADM Capital Foundation
- Mr Ryan Ip, Vice President and Executive Director of Public Policy Institute, Our Hong Kong Foundation
- Mr David Lam, JP, Under Secretary for Development, HKSAR
- Ms Olivia To, Senior Vice President (Sustainability) Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, InvestHK
- Mr Victor Cheng, Director of Sustainability, Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park
- Mr Chun Yin Mak, Global Senior Vice President, Univers
- Dr Paul Kau, Managing Director, Earth & Environment, Hong Kong & Mainland China, WSP (Asia) Limited
- Mr Willy Paterson-Brown, Chair, Board of Directors, Cleantech Building Materials PLC
- Ms Doris Kwok, Deputy General Manager, Tianqi Lithium
- Ir Michael Fong, JP, Director of Civil Engineering and Development
- Prof Shauhrat S. Chopra, Associate Dean of School of Energy and Environment (“SEE”), City University of Hong Kong
- Mr Simon Chan, Assistant Director (Conservation), Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department
- Dr Nick White, Principal Advisor – Net Gain, Natural England
- Dr Andy Cornish, Founder & Chief Strategist, Cornerstone Strategies
- Mr Stuart Beavis, Regional Lead, Dutch Fund for Climate and Development and Senior Advisor, Sustainable Finance, WWF-Hong Kong
- Mr Eddie Tse, Group Sustainability Manager, Gammon Construction Limited
- Mr Stephen Suen, Director, AECOM
- Mr Mike Ng, Associate Director – Project Development & Management, CLP Power Hong Kong Limited
- Mr Ken Yuen, Climate Change & Sustainability Risk Consultant, Zurich Resilience Solutions
- Mr Joe Yip, Deputy Project Manager, West Development Office, Civil Engineering and Development Department
- Ir Dr Bruce Chong, Fellow & Director, ARUP
- Ms Jessica Chan, Head of Sustainability, MTR Corporation Limited
- Prof Limin Zhang, Chair Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- 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 David Lam, JP, Under Secretary for Development of the HKSAR, delivers his
keynote speech at BEC EnviroSeries Conference
(From left) Mr Simon Ng, Chief Executive Officer of BEC;
Dr Fu Pengpeng, Researcher 1, Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government;
Mr David Lam, JP, Under Secretary for Development of the HKSAR; and Mr Kevin O’Brien, Chairman of BEC
Ir Michael Fong, JP, Director of Civil Engineering and Development, delivers his keynote speech at BEC EnviroSeries Conference
Ir Michael Fong, JP, Director of Civil Engineering and Development (left), and Mr Simon Ng, Chief Executive Officer of BEC
Over 900 business leaders and industry experts attend BEC EnviroSeries Conference in person and online to exchange insights and ideas