“The world keeps changing. Lifelong learning is the only way to remain competitive.”
Darron lived in Kowloon City when he was a child. His family always passed by the then Hong Kong Polytechnic and they were attracted to the unique design of the red-brick buildings. His dad and mom had repeatedly said that they wished Darron would study in the institute one day. Darron promised to work hard towards the goal and he finally fulfilled their dream. After finishing Form 6, he was admitted to Hong Kong Polytechnic to study higher diploma in Mathematics and Statistics and he graduated in the early nineties.
Since then he has forged a lasting connection with his alma mater. He completed two more degree courses at PolyU: Master of Information Systems in 2001 and Master of Business Administration in 2005. He loves the PolyU campus and is deeply impressed by the academic ambience. He is also fond of the people and happenings there – his first love was a classmate he met at PolyU. He still maintains close ties with many professors and classmates and he is happy to be a mentor for PolyU students. In 2019, he was honoured as the Outstanding Alumnus of the Department of Computing and in 2021, he was elected as Chairman of The Computing Alumni Association of PolyU.
Darron performs exceedingly well both in his career and in social service. He is a seasoned IT and internal audit expert and is currently Head of Information Technology at Hong Kong Housing Society. He is also a Certified Practising Accountant. He has taken up important positions in a number of professional associations, including Institute of Financial Technologists of Asia, ISACA HK Chapter, CMA Australia (HK), The Institute of Internal Auditors HK Chapter. Concerning social service, he is the Director of Lions Club of Hong Kong IFC Charitable Foundation, Vice President of Scout Association of Yau Tsim District, Honorary President of The Hong Kong Girl Guides Association, Deputy Chief Supervisor of Hong Kong Road Safety Patrol and Financial Expert of Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications.
In order to give back to his alma mater, Darron has devoted himself to mentoring PolyU students. He sees that students in general lack proficiency in soft skills. He hopes by joining hands with the University, different types of activities could be organised to help improve students’ linguistic and communicative competence, social skills, critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities.
Upon taking up the Chairmanship of The Computing Alumni Association, Darron set four major goals for the Association to achieve: connect with alumni of all years; engage them in social service and give back to society; encourage both alumni and students to pursue lifelong learning in order to enhance their competitiveness; and bring alumni together through different types of activities.
Darron said his recipe for success is “readiness to do more”. Employers usually appreciate people who are willing to take on more responsibilities. Very often, the best gain is to lose. One can also learn more by doing more. Darron also repeatedly stressed the importance of lifelong learning. He said, “The world keeps changing. Lifelong learning is the only way to remain competitive.”
While Darron is very satisfied with his current undertakings, he still has unfulfilled dream. He loves Hong Kong. He hopes he could have the opportunity to join the HKSAR Government, in whatever capacity, and to serve Hong Kong. He believes that if the society is in unity and harmony, many problems can be resolved.
Publishing date: June 2021
