Recipients of Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award

Ir Dr Ho, Director of Innovation of Arup and the first Chinese Arup Fellow in Structural Engineering, is a world-renowned expert in tall building design. Having worked for the international multi-disciplinary design firm for decades, he was the project director for many of the most challenging and innovative skyscrapers in Asia, such as the 283-metre-tall Cheung Kong Centre in Hong Kong, the 528-metre-tall CITIC Tower in Beijing, as well as the 460-metre-tall Vincom Landmark 81 in Ho Chi Minh City. Dr Ho has earned many professional designations, and his patented Hybrid Outrigger System scooped the Hong Kong CIC Innovation Award 2017 and The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers Innovation Award 2020. As PolyU’s first PhD graduate from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Dr Ho has retained close links with his alma mater serving as a Visiting Lecturer since 1992, an Adjunct Professor of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, as well as a mentor under the “INSPIRE” Mentorship Programme. In 2020, he became an Executive Committee Member of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association, and was elected its Vice President in 2022.

He is a recipient of the Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award in Professional Achievement.

Mr Lam is Principal Consultant at the Business and Networking Consulting Department of Huawei Technologies Company Limited. He launched his career in 1973 at the Hong Kong Telephone Company, now known as Hong Kong Telecommunications (HKT) Limited. Before his retirement from HKT in May 2021, he was Managing Director, Engineering, responsible for the planning and operation of fixed and wireless networks, and support of a wide range of quadruple-play telecommunication services including voice, data, broadband, interactive multimedia and mobile. Under his shrewd leadership, HKT not only won many industry awards but also increased the coverage of high-speed broadband in Hong Kong to 98%. A well-respected figure with five decades of experience in the industry, Mr Lam has served as an Honorary Advisor of the Communications Association of Hong Kong and participated in joint innovation lab projects organised with the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, Hospital Authority and other bodies. He has also forged close ties with his alma mater through serving as a Departmental Advisory Committee Member of the Department of Computing, as well as by chairing the Departmental Advisory Committee of the Department of Electronic and Information Engineering. Apart from being a frequent speaker at University events, he has also offered internships to PolyU graduates.

Ir Lau is Permanent Secretary for Development (Works) of the HKSAR Government. Before his current appointment, he was Director of Civil Engineering and Development from October 2018 to October 2021. He is a Fellow Member of The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and the Institution of Civil Engineers. Throughout a career that spans three decades, Ir Lau has made remarkable contributions to Hong Kong’s construction industry by spearheading various mega-projects. Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands Development under the Lantau Tomorrow Vision is one example. He is also a staunch advocate of the “Construction 2.0” strategy, driving innovative technology application for advancement of the construction industry, including through artificial intelligence, virtual reality, building information modelling and modular integrated construction. To encourage close University-Government-Industry collaboration, he has facilitated the application of PolyU’s innovative technologies in public works. These initiatives include using Fibre-Reinforced Polymer materials to replace steel reinforcement in marine works, as well as adopting Advanced Welding Technology developed by the PolyU Chinese National Engineering Research Centre for Steel Construction in the fabrication of the Double Arch Steel Bridge of the Cross Bay Link at Tseung Kwan O. Ir Lau is currently Chairman of the Departmental Advisory Committee of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Prof. Tsang, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry and Director of the Wolfson Catalysis Centre of the University of Oxford, is a world-leading expert in chemical materials and green catalysis. He has published over 450 papers in refereed publications including Science and Nature, and his works have been widely cited. Decorated with numerous international awards and a proud owner of 16 patents, he was among the world’s pioneering researchers in nanomaterials, including the synthesis and catalytic properties of carbon nanotubes. Not only have his seminal works on opening and filling carbon nanotubes sparked global attention on nanomaterials, but he is also the first known scientist to modify carbon nanotubes with biological enzymes or related biomaterials. Recently focusing on green chemistry and catalysis, he is a co-founder of OXGRIN, a spin-out from Oxford University that is building a world-class One-Stop Catalyst Platform. Despite residing overseas, Prof. Tsang never ceases to forge links between his alma mater and industry. Apart from coaching staff and providing specialist advice to departments, he also actively collaborates with PolyU researchers on various projects in Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering and other contexts. Thanks to his liaison efforts, PolyU has established closer relationships with Oxford University, government bodies and foreign tech enterprises. 

Mr Chui is a Partner of KPMG China, Hong Kong office, and the Regional Head of Global Japanese Practice in Hong Kong. He leads multiple teams serving clients mostly in tech-centric and healthcare sectors, handling initial public offerings and other capital market transactions in Hong Kong, Japan and the United States. He is a keen advocate of the Belt and Road Initiative, assisting clients in ASEAN countries to align with international standards that facilitates their fund raising in capital markets. As a promising professional making a splash in his career, he served on the Young Members Committee of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He also serves as an Ambassador for the global forum One Young World, joining its annual summit in 2012 in the United States as one of the delegates working to accelerate social impact, together with other most impactful young leaders in the world. Equally passionate about giving back to his alma mater, Mr Chui has been actively supporting various PolyU events while serving as Vice President of The Accounting and Finance Graduates’ Association, as well as Director of the Federation of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Alumni Associations. He has also served as a mentor under PolyU’s “INSPIRE” Mentorship Programme, taking junior students under his wing.

Mr O is Co-Founder and Head of Marketing and Advertising of GoGoX. Established in 2013, GoGoX is the major online intra-city logistics platform in Asia which has radically reformed the traditional logistics industry. Having expanded its business from Hong Kong to Singapore, Mainland China, South Korea, India and Vietnam, the company provides efficient, transparent and customised logistics services in more than 340 cities with a network of 5.2 million registered drivers. As a design graduate specialised in advertising, Mr O had already garnered considerable experience and led award-winning campaigns in global advertising agencies before setting up GoGoX. The campaigns included those for McCann Worldgroup, Leo Burnett, DDB and Ogilvy & Mather. Overseeing GoGoX’s brand management, marketing strategies, promotional activities and app interface design, such a background has proved exceptionally useful. Under his stewardship, the company has earned numerous accolades for establishing a unique brand identity across various touchpoints with creative marketing campaigns, successfully elevating its brand awareness among consumers and enterprises alike. His busy schedule notwithstanding, Mr O has always made time to share his entrepreneurial experience and design philosophy with current and prospective PolyU students. He has also provided a variety of job opportunities to young graduates of his alma mater, ranging from internships to full-time positions.

Dr Siu, Associate Professor of PolyU’s Department of Health Technology and Informatics, has been actively engaged in research related to microbial genomics for years. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed research papers in high-impact academic journals, including Lancet Respiratory Medicine and Clinical Chemistry. His publications have been cited more than 1,500 times in 1,000 articles. In addition, Dr Siu has secured over HK$40 million in external research grant funding in the past five years. His research efforts have greatly increased the accuracy and efficiency of the diagnosis of infectious diseases, including COVID-19. During the pandemic, his rapid sequencing technique has been crucial in identifying and stopping local transmission chains of the virus, earning him the Outstanding Project Team on COVID-19 Research Award from the Food and Health Bureau in 2021. His research has  also been widely covered by the mass media. Keen on sharing his vision and findings with PolyU students and the wider community, Dr Siu was honoured by the University with a faculty research and teaching award for two consecutive years, and has been appointed as Limin Endowed Young Scholar in Medical Laboratory Science. He has also been appointed by the Government as a Member of the Medical Laboratory Technologist Board, chairing its Education Committee and Examination Committee.

He is a recipient of the Outstanding PolyU Young Alumni Award in Scholarly Achievement.

Dr Wang is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of EcoFlow, a unicorn company set up in 2017 with a 2021 valuation of over US$1 billion. Under his leadership, EcoFlow has developed into a company with over 1,000 employees worldwide, delivering clean energy solutions to millions of users in more than 100 markets. Recognised by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology as an innovation and entrepreneurship talent in 2019, Dr Wang was granted 111 authorised patents and has published eight research papers on the subjects of battery and energy storage. With the vision to make EcoFlow a world-leading renewable energy solution provider, he leads the research and development (R&D) team in reinventing the way ordinary people and families access energy, such as by developing the ground-breaking invention EcoFlow DELTA Pro Portable Power Station. This is the world’s first portable home battery that broke Kickstarter’s record for the most funded tech project and made it to Time’s list of “100 Best Inventions of 2021”. To give back to his alma mater, Dr Wang has not only communicated with younger PolyU students as a speaker in various seminars and sharing sessions, but also helped graduates from the Department of Mechanical Engineering to launch their careers as R&D workers.

He is a recipient of the Outstanding PolyU Young Alumni Award in Entrepreneurial Achievement.