PolyU to confer Honorary Doctorates upon Three Distinguished Individuals

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) announced today that the University will confer honorary doctorates upon three distinguished individuals in recognition of their outstanding achievements in the fields of finance, scientific research, education and public health as well as their remarkable contributions to society. The three recipients are (in alphabetical order of surname): Mrs Laura CHA, GBM, GBS, JP, Professor XU Ningsheng and Professor ZHONG Nanshan.

Mrs Laura Cha, Professor Xu Ningsheng and Professor Zhong Nanshan are eminent individuals who have made significant contributions to our society and Nation. PolyU looks forward to more in-depth communication and collaboration with them in taking the University towards new horizons in education and research for the benefit of society.

Mrs Laura Cha is the Chairman of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, Non-executive Chairman of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited and Director of the World Federation of Exchanges. She is also a Non-official Member of the Executive Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Mrs Cha has extensive experience in the field of financial management and has made impactful contributions to the development of the financial services sector in both Hong Kong and Mainland China. Mrs Cha was the first non-Mainland resident to join the Central Government at vice-ministerial rank when she served as Vice Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission from 2001 to 2004. She previously served as Chairman of the University Grants Committee (UGC), Chairman of the Financial Services Development Council, Deputy Chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission, and Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Corruption of the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

We are very excited to welcome them as new members of the PolyU family. Their extraordinary accomplishments, as well as their selfless and outstanding contributions to society deserve our utmost respect.

Dr LAM Tai-fai

Chairman of Council, PolyU

Professor Xu Ningsheng is President of Fudan University and former President of Sun Yat-sen University, China. He is a Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Academician of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World. Professor Xu has served as a Representative of the 12th and 13th National People's Congress and is a Member of the 13th National Five-year Plan National Expert Committee. Professor Xu is Chair of the General Expert Committee for the National Nanotechnology Key Project. He is also a Member of the UGC and has served on numerous international science and technology steering committees. Over the years, he has made significant contributions to the development of the Nation, especially in the areas of education and research.

Professor Zhong Nanshan is Professor of Medicine at the Guangzhou Medical University, Director of the State Clinical Research Centre of Respiratory Disease, Member of WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Preparedness and Response, and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Professor Zhong has a long and distinguished career in medical and scientific research related to respiratory diseases. Renowned for his achievements in fighting epidemics, Professor Zhong has made enormous contributions in leading the Chinese medical team to combat SARS in 2003. He is also instrumental in stopping the spread of COVID-19 in the Mainland. He not only identified the potential severity of the epidemic when it first emerged and raised awareness about human-to-human transmission, but also compiled a diagnosis and treatment protocol that contributed to controlling the epidemic and containing the number of cases in China. Professor Zhong was awarded the Order of the Republic in recognition of his tremendous contribution to the Nation.

Dr LAM Tai-fai, Chairman of Council, PolyU, said, “I would like to extend my congratulations on behalf of the University to Mrs Laura Cha, Professor Xu Ningsheng and Professor Zhong Nanshan. We are very excited to welcome them as new members of the PolyU family. Their extraordinary accomplishments, as well as their selfless and outstanding contributions to society deserve our utmost respect. We look forward to working closely with them for the continued advancement of PolyU in Hong Kong and Mainland China, contributing to the future development of Hong Kong and our Nation.”

Professor Jin-Guang TENG, PolyU President, stated, “The three esteemed honorary doctorate recipients have outstanding achievements in their professional careers and have set an excellent example in contributing to the Nation’s development and in driving social progress. In pursuit of their success, they embody the same values expressed in PolyU’s motto of ‘to learn and to apply, for the benefit of mankind’. The year 2020 has been very difficult and the world will continue facing social, economic and health challenges moving forwards. The devotion of the recipients to improving people’s lives and helping society to progress is highly motivational, encouraging all of us at PolyU to face the challenges and strive for breakthroughs in nurturing talent, pushing forward the frontiers of knowledge and technology, as well as serving our society to foster a much better tomorrow.”

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