Mr Freeman Lau Siu Hong, BBS

Chairman Yang, University Council Members, President Tong and Honoured Guests,

I am very grateful to my alma mater for conferring this Honorary Fellowship on me.

I started my career in the 1980s, a time when Hong Kong was exploring the integration of Eastern and Western cultures and when the handover of Hong Kong had been confirmed. Cultural design was the focus during that period. Before and after the handover in the 1990s, there was a gradual increase in exchange between Hong Kong and the mainland. With the continuous development of national enterprises and the expanding scope for design business, the standard of Hong Kong design profession had been significantly enhanced. Starting from 2000, design professionals began to focus on exploring the role of design in the creative industries and on creating synergy, thus taking the design profession to the next level of development.

In the past, due to the openness of Hong Kong which embraces diverse culture with global vision, our design industry was a regional leader. These days, our biggest challenge, as well as the greatest opportunity, is the integration with enterprises in the Chinese mainland.

Innovation was repeatedly emphasized in the recently-announced National 12th Five-Year Plan. The advantage Hong Kong has always had is its willingness to 'dare to innovate'. I sincerely hope that the Government will allocate more resources to support creative education so that our competitive advantage can be further strengthened.

To me, success is made possible not only by individual efforts, but by having the right community setting at the right time. Taking this opportunity, I must express my gratitude to my partner, Prof. Kan Tai-keung, for inspiring me and helping me in my career, and to my colleagues and business associates for their support over the years. I would also like to thank my friends and allies, including Mr Victor Lo, Mr Danny Yung, Ms Ada Wong and Mr Mathias Woo, for working together to promote the creative industries. My thanks also go to friends from other professional organizations. I am also most certainly indebted to my family for their understanding and support.

Let's continue our efforts to bring a brighter future for the creative industries of Hong Kong. Thank you!

Mr Victor Cha Mou Zing

Ms Fiona Cheung Sum Yu, MH

Ms Katherine Hung Siu Lin

Mr Freeman Lau Siu Hong, BBS

Mr Liu Sing Cheong, JP

Professor Liu Yingli

Mr Louis Mak Law Mo

Mr Yau Wah Yau

(in alphabetical order by name)