THE DRAGON & THE BEAVER

If you choose to listen to this article, you are welcome to download the PDF version of the Journal (June 2024 issue) and activate the “Read Out Loud” function in Adobe Reader. For more details, please read the user's note.

 

This late in the Session, we at the Secretariat naturally find ourselves preoccupied with stocktaking and retrospection, activities that unintentionally send me reminiscing about our members’ untiring dedication throughout the past months. Chief among those members are of course our President Ir Dr Barry Lee and the Council, to whom I extend my gratitude for having devoted so much of their time and energy to the Institution’s affairs.

 

I expect to feel the same degree of gratitude to Ir Eric Ma— the Incoming President—by the next Session’s end, that is, when he completes the term in his turn. But I am getting ahead of myself. For now, may I limit myself to extending a warm welcome to Ir Ma, who will succeed Ir Dr Lee to the Institution’s Presidency for Session 2024/2025 and, like him, has grand designs of his own for the Institution.

 

All of us here at the Institution intuitively grasp the importance of connectivity, a concept that underlies our recent ventures out of Hong Kong: For example, our President and Immediate Past President Ir Aaron Bok went on a delegation to Hungary and Kazakhstan from 16 to 22 May. In this delegation organised by the Ministry of Commerce and the Belt and Road Office, Ir Dr Lee and Ir Bok connected with our local counterparts, hearing their stories while narrating Hong Kong’s own. They also made technical visits to locales where interesting engineering developments were going on: to Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport’s Cargo City, for instance, and the Astana International Financial Centre.

 

With Vice President Ir Alice Chow and two Engineering Alliance members, the President also visited Australia from 26 to 29 May, there to connect with our counterparts in Canberra and Sydney. They made first-ever calls on the Engineers Australia (EA) and Arup, hosted a cocktail reception at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Syndey), and held exchange sessions at Western Sydney University and University of New South Wales. I have no doubt but that our delegates’ admirable passion at telling good Hong Kong stories and forging strong ties must have reached our Australian friends at some fundamental level, reinforcing or sowing the seeds of future collaborations.

 

The spirit of connectivity manifested itself on 16 May, when a delegation from the Islands District Council (DC) called on our Headquarters. A sizable group on our side—consisting of Immediate Past President Ir Aaron Bok, Vice Presidents Ir Alice Chow and Ir Prof Frank Chan, Public Service Committee (PSC) Chairperson Ir Mandy Leung and some PSC members—engaged in animated discussions with Islands DC’s representatives, namely, Mr Yu Hon-kwan, MH, JP, Ms Wong Chau-ping, Mr Jonathan Chow Yuen-kuk, Ms Lau Suk-han, Mr Wan Yeung-kin and Ms Lau Shun-ting. This brief exchange has allowed each party to acquire a better-informed appreciation of the other’s roles, perspectives, and aspirations with regard to our shared community.

 

For those lately admitted to the Institution as Fellow Members or Members, our New Members Reception on 1 June, too, must have seemed an auspicious beginning. With the blessings and best wishes of our President and the other guests, a new cohort of them were presented with their hard-earned certificates to mark their entrance into the HKIE family, a fact indeed worth celebrating.

 

Two more major events lie on our path before the Session’s conclusion. One is the Third Greater Bay Area (GBA) Engineers Forum, which will be held in Macau on 19-21 June with “灣區同行 工程為本” as its theme. Comprising reports delivered by prominent speakers, sub-forums led by the participating organisations, and a specialised conference, this multi-faceted Forum serves as a vehicle for expressing ideas on topics of magnitude to GBA engineers—such as New Quality Productive Forces, talent cultivation in engineering, and international exchange and collaboration on technological innovation.

 

In the other event, our 49th Annual General Meeting on 25 June, a Vice President and five Elected Ordinary Members of the Council will be newly elected. A new leadership being a promise of rejuvenation and transformation, Corporate Members have every reason to go to the polls on that day and cast their precious vote to determine the Institution’s way forward.

 


COUNCIL NEWS – MAY MEETING

Council Election

 

On 16 May 2024, the Council elected Ir Eric Ma Siu-cheung as the President of the Institution for Session 2024/2025 in accordance with Article 16 of the Constitution.

 

At its special meeting on 18 April 2024, the Council resolved to nominate Ir Allan Chan Sau-kit and Ir Rupert Leung Kwok-yiu as candidates for election as Vice President on the day of the 49th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 25 June 2024. The re-election of incumbent Vice Presidents Ir Alice Chow Kin-tak and Ir Prof Frank Chan-fan will also be conducted on the same day. There are five vacancies for Elected Ordinary Members up for election on the day of the AGM and the nomination will close on 4 June 2024.

 

Members are invited to attend the AGM and show your support.

 

Renewal of Reciprocal Recognition Agreement with CIBSE

 

The Council approved the proposed Reciprocal Recognition Agreement with CIBSE for renewal.

 

Proposed operation of CPCE Student Chapter

 

The Council approved the proposal on the operation of CPCE Student Chapter that it would remain a standalone chapter to operate independently and would not merge with PolyU Student Chapter after the probationary period.

 

Explore Hong Kong Engineer