Engineering expert leads campus development efforts

 

The second alumnus taking a senior position at PolyU recently is Mr Andy Tong, who began his tenure as Vice President (Campus Development and Facilities) on 27 November. With an engineering career that spanned the UK, Canada and Hong Kong, Mr Tong was most recently the General Manager - Tianjin Property, China and International Business Division of the MTR Corporation, managing a development project in Tianjin with a total gross floor area of approximately 280,000 square metres.

Mr Tong completed his studies in the Associateship Programme in Structural Engineering at the then Hong Kong Polytechnic in 1974, before accumulating more than 40 years of experience in structural engineering consultancy and property development. A Registered Structural Engineer with memberships of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and the Institution of Structural Engineers in the UK, Mr Tong is now developing and overseeing the implementation of strategies to enhance the University's space use, facilities management, as well as health and safety. Under his purview are the Campus Development Office, Facilities Management Office, and Health, Safety and Environment Office.

With his extensive experience in building and leading teams of multi-disciplinary professionals, as well as in aligning and engaging stakeholders towards common goals, Mr Tong is the most suitable candidate to steer campus development and facilities management for his alma mater," says President Tong.

Mr Tong is acutely aware that PolyU is currently in expansion mode, and he is focusing on how to best optimise the utilisation of campus space by different faculties and schools to meet immediate needs as far as practicable. He is also tasked with ensuring that current development projects including Block X and the proposed footbridge linking Block X and Block Z are delivered on time. Another priority is obtaining approval from the Town Planning Board in early 2016 for the proposed Ho Man Tin Campus Expansion Project, which will provide an additional 1,300 hostel places and 17,000 square metres of academic floor space.

Key to Mr Tong's approach to all development projects is a keen sense of what he calls "stakeholder management". "To ensure the successful coordination of differing perspectives, it is crucial that the needs of the stakeholders are clearly articulated and the project objectives are clearly communicated to the stakeholders through open dialogue," he says. "This involves some give and take to achieve consensus," he admitted. "But my experience has shown that the diverging views of the stakeholders can be balanced and aligned with effective communication and reasoning."

A keen hiker and distance runner in his spare time, Mr Tong reflects that his experience in races has taught him to persist amid difficulty, which has ultimately helped him to foster a positive attitude and can-do spirit in managing projects.

Both new vice presidents bring a sense of energy and purpose to the senior management team, helping to provide a forward-looking administrative and development base as PolyU embraces the future. ♦