Mr Laurence Li is a member of Temple Chambers, one of the leading barristers’ chambers in Hong Kong. His practice focuses on finance and encompasses banking, commercial, company and securities law. With a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University and a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School, he was called to the New York State Bar and Hong Kong Bar in 1998 and 2006 respectively. Mr Li had served on the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong for six years, first as Commission Secretary and subsequently Director of Corporate Finance.

Mr Li has involved heavily in community service, taking up key roles on various committees of the HKSAR Government and professional bodies. He was Member of the Antiquities Advisory Board, and currently serves as Member of the Financial Services Development Council, Hong Kong, and Convenor of its Policy Research Committee. He is Non-Executive Director of the Urban Renewal Authority, Member of the Town Planning Board and the Social Welfare Advisory Committee. He is also Judge of the Regulatory Tribunal of the Qatar Finance Centre in Doha, Qatar.

In 2003, Mr Li joined hands with a group of young professionals to establish the 30SGroup, which is a forum for experts across various professions to explore issues that range from economy, environment to social welfare in Hong Kong, and to give advices based on their professional knowledge, with the purpose of giving back to society. In addition to being the Convenor of the Group, Mr Li is also Board Member and Advisor of Social Ventures Hong Kong, an affiliate of the Group aiming to promote the development of innovative social enterprises in Hong Kong.

A fervent supporter in the area of education, Mr Li has been Council Member of PolyU and Member of the International Advisory Committee of PolyU’s Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation from 2009 to 2015, providing the University with invaluable advice on its development. Since 2014, Mr Li is actively engaged as a member of the teaching team of the Executive Master in Real Estate Finance programme by PolyU’s Institute of Advanced Executive Education, where he lectures on the subject of legal dimensions for real estate finance. At present, Mr Li also serves as Court Member of Hong Kong Baptist University.

In 2014, Mr Li was appointed Justice of the Peace by the HKSAR Government. Having spared no efforts in serving the community throughout the years, Mr Li has set an admirable example for the young generation.

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

Thank you for conferring this Fellowship on me today. It is an honour and also an opportunity to continue my association with this esteemed university. I am most grateful.

When I was called, more than six years ago, to serve on the Council of PolyU, a very good friend of mine was also called. He was then the head of operations for a very successful garment manufacturer and was being asked to go to the university in Tuen Mun.

He and I spoke. We wondered whether the powers that be might have made a mistake. Surely my friend could do more for PolyU and a barrister like me would fit more naturally with a liberal arts college.

I am sure the then Council Chairman and President had their misgivings too. But they were about to hand their batons to Margie and Tim. They took me and made me feel welcome.

So did everyone else at PolyU. And over time, they helped me realize there is a place for a lawyer here. A modern university is about diversity, learning from different perspectives, and amalgamating our differences into a coherent whole.

The student and staff of PolyU exemplify this core value of a university. Over the years I have seen, and sometimes helped deal with, many heated arguments within our community. But they rarely got personal, and always people found a constructive way forward.

Let me end by thanking PolyU again for giving me such an honour, thanking you all for building PolyU into an institution for Hong Kong and, on a personal note, thanking my wife, who is sitting in the back with our daughters, for making it possible for me to spend time at PolyU and in our community.