On 6 November, Our Hong Kong Foundation (OHKF), The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shenzhen Finance Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Business School and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area Entrepreneurs Alliance jointly organised “The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Entrepreneurs Forum 2024: Hong Kong’s Role in the New Era” (The Forum), presented by The Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong 90th Anniversary. It gathered heavyweight speakers of government officials, C-suite leaders, business strategists, innovation and AI gurus, sustainability experts and academicians to explore the vast opportunities presented by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), with a focus on Hong Kong’s unique strength in bridging China and the global market and fostering cooperation and acceleration of high-quality development across the GBA. 

The Forum attracted over 800 attendees. OHKF was honoured to have the gracious presence of six officiating guests, including Dr Jane Lee, President of OHKF; Professor Cong Wang, Associate Vice President, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen; Dr Bernard Chan, Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, the Government of the HKSAR; Zhu Wei, Deputy Director of Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Standing Deputy Director of the Leading Group Office of Guangdong on the Construction of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area; Dr Jonathan Choi, Standing Committee Member of the CPPCC, Chairman of Sunwah Group and Chairman of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area Entrepreneurs Alliance; and Dr Wingco Lo, President of The Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong. 

The first Keynote Address, entitled “Finding New Paths Amidst Challenges to Enhance Business Competitiveness”, explored how companies can capitalise on the unique strengths of the GBA market to enhance their global competitiveness. The session featured 2 keynote speakers, Dr Brian Gu, Vice Chairman and President of XPENG; and Marcus Spurrell, CEO of International Business of DMALL, who were then joined by Antony Leung, Group Chairman of Nan Fung Group, Group Chairman & Co-Founder of New Frontier Group; and Dr Stephen Wong, Head of Chief Executive's Policy Unit, the Government of the HKSAR, for a dialogue session. 

The second Keynote Address, themed “GBA and Hong Kong: Advancing Global Competitiveness of Mainland Industries”, focused on how to boost the global standing of Mainland China’s industries and creating new growth opportunities in the GBA. The Keynote Address was delivered by The Hon Sunny Tan, Chairman of the Hong Kong Productivity Council; Irina Fan, Director of Research of Hong Kong Trade Development Council; and Professor Geng Xiao, Associate Dean of School of Public Policy of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Chairman of the Hong Kong Institution for International Finance, joined him on stage for the dialogue session. 

Two Introductory Remarks were respectively delivered by Guan Xiangming, Leading Party Member and Secretary-General of Guangdong Federation of Industry and Commerce; and Professor Xufei Ma, Associate Dean of The Chinese University of Hong Kong Business School, to introduce the four Industry Insights. 

The first Industry Insights, “Financial Industries in the GBA: Cross-Border Collaboration and Global Opportunities”, explored how financial enterprises can leverage the GBA to enhance regional cooperation and expand their global reach. Grant Pan, CFO of Noah Group and CEO of Noah Hong Kong; Eric Ho, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Dah Sing Bank (China) Limited; Winnie Wong, CEO & Executive Director of Asia Insurance Company Limited; and Professor Jian Wang, Associate Director of Shenzhen Finance Institute, Director of FEMBA Programme, SFI, attended the dialogue session. 

The second Industry Insight, “Artificial Intelligence and High-End Manufacturing in the GBA: Strategic Visions for a Tech-Driven Future”, discussed how to leverage Hong Kong’s strengths to build an integrated innovation and technology chain. Nixon Chau, Former Managing Director and General Manager of SenseTime; Professor Zexiang Li, Professor of Department of Electronic & Computer Engineering of HKUST, Founder of XbotPark, Founder of ShenZhen InnoX Academy; Lewis Chan, CEO of Xsight; Ka Mun Chang, Managing Director of Li & Fung Development (China) Ltd; and Robert Lok, Vice President of The Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong, joined the dialogue session. 

The third Industry Insights, “Green Economy in the GBA: Pathways to Sustainable Growth”, concentrated on how companies can leverage sustainability to promote green transformation. Poman Lo, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Regal Hotels Group, Founding Managing Partner of AlphaTrio Capital; Chavalit Tsao, Chairman of TPC (Tsao Pao Chee), Founder of OCTAVE, Chairman of Council of Wisdom, Family Business Network International (FBNI); Dr Kang Qu, Managing Director of Sustainability Strategy, Bank of China (Hong Kong), Vice President of Hong Kong Green Finance Association; Pat Woo, Partner, Head of ESG - Hong Kong, KPMG China; and Professor Christine Loh, Chief Development Strategist, Institute for the Environment at HKUST, joined the dialogue session. 

Culminating in the Industry Insights, namely “Digital Assets in the GBA: Shaping the Future Digital Economy”, which explored how to leverage digital assets to innovate business models and access emerging markets, Evan Auyang, Group President of Animoca Brands; Yifan He, CEO of Red Date (Hong Kong) Technology Limited; Vivien Khoo, CEO & Managing Director of Private Wealth Management Association; Sandy Peng, Co-founder of Scroll; and Victor Yim, Head of Fintech of Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, joined the dialogue session. 

The Forum was closed by Professor Wei Xiong, Academic Dean of the School of Management and Economics, and Shenzhen Finance Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen; and Ryan IP, Vice President cum Co-Head of Public Policy Institute at OHKF. 

The Forum has received strong support from the Government, industries, educational institutes and associations, including Title Sponsor: Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong; Gold Sponsors: Nissin Foods Company Limited and Greater Bay Area Homeland Youth Community Foundation; Silver Sponsor: Ernst & Young; Technical Sponsor: CITIC Telecom CPC; and Venue Sponsor: Conrad Hong Kong. 

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