Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) today (May 7) hosted the two-day Global Talent Summit · Hong Kong as the first talent-themed international forum and exhibition of the current-term Government.
The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, officiated at the Summit. In his welcoming remarks, he said, "Talent is the prime resource and driving force that boosts economic development and competitiveness. Strategic professionals generate the innovative ideas that lead to new and improved products, services and technologies. Talent is often driven by a hunger for personal growth, to excel in their fields and push the boundaries of their abilities. These elements are key factors in success, not just for professionals and their industries, but more important, the success of the overall economy. With much of the world working to revive economic growth in the post-pandemic global economy, and amid rising geo-political tensions, the search for talent has become a global phenomenon and a continuous challenge."
Mr Lee pointed out that in Hong Kong, talent gets to thrive and grow in a world-class economy. Under "one country, two systems", Hong Kong is bestowed with institutional strengths including a world-class business environment, a simple and low tax system, a highly open and internationalised market, and the free flow of information, capital, goods and people. Hong Kong is also one of Asia's most liveable cities, with a mix of Eastern and Western cultures, natural beauty such as hiking trails, beaches, a global geopark, and high-quality, efficient and reliable healthcare services. Hong Kong is also among the world's safest cities. All these are key factors that attract talent to get both world-class work opportunities and a satisfying life in Hong Kong.
Mr Lee highlighted the Government's heavy investment in attracting, developing and retaining talent. Hong Kong is the only Asian city with as many as five universities in the world's top 100, and Hong Kong's universities are home to some of the world's top 10 schools covering various disciplines, according to the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings. The launch of a series of talent admission programmes from end-2022 has attracted more than 120 000 talents from around the world to Hong Kong. He underscored the importance of cross-sector collaboration in attracting talent and strengthening the talent base.
In her keynote address, the Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, Ms Wang Xiaoping, said, "The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government focuses on driving development as the top priority, and has established a dedicated talent service agency to attract talent around the world. A series of high-value talent attraction schemes have been launched consecutively to provide holistic institutional arrangements and policy protection for various kinds of talent to move to Hong Kong, know Hong Kong better and stay in Hong Kong, thereby injecting new impetus and vibrancy into Hong Kong's growth. In the World Talent Report 2023 released by the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland, Hong Kong ranked second in Asia for talent competitiveness, which affirmed Hong Kong's status as an ideal city for global talent to strive for their dreams.
"We firmly believe that the HKSAR Government will continue to leverage the unique advantages of enjoying the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, giving full play to its strengths to meet the needs of the country. This will attract more Mainland and overseas top talent to pursue their developments and careers in Hong Kong with prosperity and satisfaction, building its capacity for a better Hong Kong and opening new horizons for high-quality development. We look forward to seeing more talent across sectors as well as friends from the industrial and commercial sectors and academia at home and abroad coming to China and especially Hong Kong. They shall seize and make full use of the opportunities brought about by the high level of opening up of Mainland China and Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, and develop their careers, start their businesses and fulfil their dreams, making new contributions for the common development of China and the world as well as a community with a shared future for mankind."
Under the theme "The Power of Global Talent", the International Talent Forum on the first day aimed to explore major trends of global competition for talent and talent mobility from the macro perspective, and delve into the role of diverse talent to economic and industrial developments. The Summit brought together over 1 200 international and Mainland leaders from political, academic, business and other sectors to exchange trends and experiences in talent development, with a view to promoting Hong Kong's dual role and advantages as an international talent hub and the country's gateway for talent.
The Chief Executive Officer of the MTR Corporation Limited, Dr Jacob Kam, gave a keynote speech on a proactive approach to attract, nurture and develop talent. He also highlighted the importance of empowering talent to drive business growth and contribute to the sustainable development of Hong Kong and the cities MTR serves.
Following the keynote speech, a panel discussion was jointly hosted by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Strategy and Planning of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, Professor David Cardwell; the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences of City University of Hong Kong, Professor Alfred Ho; and the Managing Director of Asia Pacific of LinkedIn, Ms Feon Ang. They examined the factors and strategies necessary for building and maintaining an international talent hub as well as how Hong Kong should leverage the distinctive advantages of enjoying the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world.
In addition, the Global Workforce Leader and Partner of PwC United Kingdom, Mr Peter Brown; the Chief Executive Officer of IBT (a business process outsourcing company), Mr Jai Mulani; the Chief Executive Officer and President of BigC Supercenter Public Company Limited (a supermarket brand in Southeast Asia), Mr Aswin Techajareonvikul; and the Deputy Chief Executive of Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, Mr Wang Huabin, chaired another panel discussion. They looked into the cultivation of corporate cultures to attract and retain talent around the world, contributing to Hong Kong's position as a vibrant, diverse and inclusive talent hub.
In the afternoon, three seminars were respectively held by the Director of Investment and Talent Attraction of the Ministry of Economy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mrs Fatima Al Hajri, on the implementation experience of the UAE's talent attraction and retention strategy; the Co-founder of 10,000 Hours (a professional services firm), Dr Chris Maxwell, on nurturing leadership talent in the new generation; and the Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion of Asia of Manulife, Mr Sudesh Thevasenabathy, on how corporate cultures with innovation, diversity and inclusiveness are conducive to recruiting and retaining talent.
HKTE's latest promotional video was premiered at the Summit's opening. Nine talents across professions with different backgrounds around the world share their experiences in pursuing developments in Hong Kong. The advantages and opportunities of Hong Kong as an international financial centre, an international shipping centre, an international innovation and technology centre, a regional intellectual property trading centre, a core city of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a mega events capital, a liveable city and Asia's world city with a simple tax regime and top education and medical services were featured.
Prior to the opening, Ms Wang, accompanied by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, visited the exhibition areas of Guangdong Province, HKTE and the Macao Special Administrative Region at the CareerConnect Expo held concurrently. Ms Wang visited the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority and the Construction Industry Recruitment Centre of the Labour Department yesterday (May 6) to get an update of Hong Kong's retirement protection system and employment services.
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, hosted a welcome dinner yesterday evening for Ms Wang as well as officials, guests and speakers visiting Hong Kong for the Summit. Visits to the "YUAN MING YUAN – Art and Culture of an Imperial Garden-Palace" and the "From Dawn to Dusk: Life in the Forbidden City" exhibitions at the Hong Kong Palace Museum were arranged before the dinner for participants to experience Hong Kong's charm as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.
The Second Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area High-quality Talent Development Conference will be held at the Summit tomorrow (May 8). The Expo is set to continue to run tomorrow at Hall 3F, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, from 10am to 5.30pm. Talent who are interested in coming to Hong Kong or have recently arrived in the city, stakeholders in various sectors who are concerned about talent development, non-local university students and members of the public are welcome. For details, please refer to the Summit's website (www.hkengage.gov.hk/GlobalTalentSummit) or HKTE's social media.
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