Donor
Otto Poon Charitable Foundation
Otto Poon Charitable Foundation was set up in 2017, and funded by Ir Dr Otto Poon, the Founder and Chairman of ATAL Engineering Group to mark the 40th anniversary of the Group.
ATAL Engineering Group is one of the largest Hong Kong-based electrical and mechanical engineering service providers, its diversified business covers environmental, lift and escalator, and ICT solutions. With operations worldwide, the Group is hiring over 2,500 professionals.
Seeking growth through “New technologies, new markets, new business models”, ATAL prides itself on cutting-edge innovation and technology, having its own R&D arms on environment, lifts and escalators, and ICT in conjunction with universities in Hong Kong and the Mainland.
ATAL has a robust training programme and each year, the Group recruits some 40 university graduates and some 20 apprentices from VTC to ensure a continuous stream of well qualified engineers and technicians. Many of them worked their way up the ladder to management positions.
Despite its tremendous success, ATAL does not rest on its laurels. It strives to offer the latest technologies, the best products and the most reliable services to maintain its status as an industry leader and to drive continuous growth and progress.
By establishing the Endowed Professorships, ATAL hopes to foster closer cooperation and ties with PolyU in developing cutting-edge technologies, to give back to society and to benefit people at large.
Ir Dr Otto Poon has a long association with PolyU. He was elected an outstanding PolyU alumnus in 1999 and conferred University Fellowship in 2006 for his distinguished professional achievements and important contributions to society. He is also an ardent supporter of his alma mater and has been giving generous donations to support PolyU development over the years.
Appointee
Ir Professor Wang Shengwei
Ir Professor Wang Shengwei, earned his BEng and MSc degrees from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China in 1983 and 1986 respectively, and PhD degree from University of Liege, Belgium in 1993. A Fellow of International Building Performance Simulation Association, Chartered Institution of Building Services of Engineers,and Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, he joined PolyU in 1993 and was promoted to Chair Professor of Building Services Engineering in 2008. Professor Wang is also the Director of Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy.
One of the most prolific scholars in the realm of smart building energy technologies, Professor Wang focusses his research on optimal control and design of air-conditioning system, diagnosis and commissioning, building energy demand adjustment in response to smart grid, and other smart building technologies. So far he has secured more than 40 research grants, including 16 grants from General Research Fund in Hong Kong, and overseas outstanding youth talent grant from National Natural Science Foundation of China. Professor Wang has published four books and over 320 papers in highly regarded refereed journals, and was named one of the highly-cited scholars in energy science and engineering discipline.
Professor Wang has extensive experience in successful energy optimisation projects both for new buildings and existing buildings, such as International Commerce Centre, saving as much as 42% of energy and over 10 million kWh per year in an individual building.
