The Government today announced that the Chief Executive, in his capacity as Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), appointed Peter Wong as Chairman of the HKU Council for a term of three years starting from January 1, 2025.

The Chief Executive also appointed five new members to the HKU Council. Two of them are Simon Li and Irons Sze, who will serve for a term of three years from December 1, 2024. The other three appointees, Rock Chen, Wilfred Wong and Samuel Yung, will serve for a term of three years from January 1, 2025.

The Government emphasised that the HKU is a long-established and internationally renowned higher education institution in Hong Kong. As one of the world's top 100 universities, the university is an esteemed Hong Kong institution and commands high expectations from both the Government and the public.

With the terms of six members of the HKU Council expiring at the end of this year, the Chief Executive has decided to fill all six positions with new appointees to bring in a new outlook. The newly appointed members are elites in the community with outstanding capabilities and rich experience, the Government added.

The Chief Executive hopes that the new appointments will provide the HKU's governance with a new outlook and new impetus, begin a new chapter in governance, steer the HKU towards excellence and provide fresh momentum to the university.

The Chief Executive expressed his gratitude to the outgoing HKU Council Chairman Priscilla Wong as well as members Jason Chiu, Winnie Chiu, Grenville Cross, Abraham Shek and John Zhao for their work and efforts.

Additionally, the Government pointed out that it established a group composed of Permanent Secretary for Education and University Grants Committee Chairman in June to conduct investigations into and studies on the HKU's internal operational affairs, and to recommend improvement measures and good practices.

The Chief Executive thanked the group for its unremitting efforts in co-ordinating the university's internal operations, enhancing communication, assisting in resolving issues, reaching a consensus, and achieving a positive outcome.

The Government added that the group will continue its work to facilitate collaboration between the new council and the management for the continuous enhancement of the HKU's governance effectiveness.