FINTECH SEMINAR SERIES

Dr Alan Cheung is the Chief Director of the Artificial Intelligence and Trust Technologies division at ASTRI. He leads the division in driving ASTRI’s initiatives, particularly in FinTech and Smart City, through Generative AI, multimedia data analytics, Federated Learning, Blockchain, Cybersecurity, and privacy-enhancing applications. The division has won numerous local and overseas innovation awards, including the Hong Kong ICT Awards, Asia FinTech Award, and the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva.

Dr Cheung’s collaboration partners comprise both the public and private sectors. They include government departments and regulators such as the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, as well as financial institutions and corporations. He also contributes to the community through various volunteer roles, such as member of the Standing Committee on Technological Developments of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD).

Dr Cheung has over 25 years of rich R&D and management experience. He previously worked for Sun Microsystems (Oracle) and ATI Technologies (AMD) in California, the United States (US). He holds an Engineering Doctorate degree from the City University of Hong Kong, a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University. He is also the owner of multiple US patents.

Ms Jessica Yeung leads the Insurtech Facilitation Team at the Insurance Authority, where she formulates insurtech strategy and policy for Hong Kong's insurance industry. Her responsibilities span areas such as Open API, Cybersecurity, Digital Insurer development, and Responsible AI policy. Jessica is also a member of the Fintech Forum at the International Association of Insurance Supervisors.

Kazimierz holds PhD in Innovation Finance from the University of Bath, UK. Kazimierz leads the Digital Channels & AI business for HSBC Hong Kong Wealth and Personal Banking division.

In his role he is accountable for all Digital Channels performance across all digital estate, mobile app development, open banking, incubation of new digital technologies and digital design. In his role he is also responsible for development and embedding of AI technologies for the business.

Elaine joined the International Affairs and Sustainable Finance team at the Chief Executive Officer's Office of the Securities and Futures Commission in June 2020. Elaine leads the team’s work to support and coordinate the SFC’s efforts in sustainable finance domestically and internationally with regulatory peers and key stakeholders.

Before her tenure with the Commission, she spent over eight years at MSCI Hong Kong and accumulated a total of two decades of experience in the financial services sector with private sector firms. 

Throughout her professional journey, Elaine has specialized in investment risk management, undertaking a variety of roles that span from product development to client consulting and implementation. 
In 2015, she transitioned into the ESG domain to spearhead MSCI ESG Research's business development initiatives across Asia, excluding Japan.

 
Elaine is a graduate of Singapore Management University, where she obtained her M.Sc. in Applied Finance, and the National University of Singapore, where she earned her B.Eng. in Chemical.

Professor WeiJian Pan is an Adjunct Professor in FinTech at CUHK, where he has taught Quantitative and Algorithmic Trading since January 2021.

As Head of Quantitative Research for Asia Equity Algorithmic Trading at Bank of America Securities, He leads a team focused on the design, research, and implementation of algorithmic trading strategies. He began his career in 2008 at Merrill Lynch in London as a Quantitative Researcher. In 2010, he relocated to Hong Kong, joining the Algorithmic Trading & Quantitative Strategies Group. Currently, as Managing Director, he oversees the equity algorithmic trading quant team, driving innovative solutions for global markets.

Professor Pan holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics (2001) and a Master of Science in Optical Sciences (2004) from Fudan University, as well as a Doctor of Philosophy in Electronic Engineering from the University of Nottingham (2008).

Mr. Anthony Buchanan is the Chief Information & Digital Officer for Sun Life Hong Kong Limited. In his role, Anthony leads IT, digital and operational transformation and implements changes to support Sun Life’s ambitious business strategy across the Life Insurance, Health and Retirement Solutions. He also works closely with functional leaders to drive agile way of working as well as the ambition innovation and GenAI strategies.

Mr. George Chou has been appointed as Chief Fintech Officer of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) since September 2023, with responsibilities for facilitating the healthy development of the fintech ecosystem in Hong Kong and promoting Hong Kong as a fintech hub in Asia.  He joined the HKMA in 2009 and had since taken up different positions, including overseeing technology risk management of banks, and licensing and supervision of stored value facilities, before being appointed as Chief Manager of the Financial Infrastructure Development Division in 2022.  Prior to joining the HKMA, Mr Chou served various roles in the private sector of financial industry for over 10 years.  Mr Chou holds a Bachelor of Computer Science and Engineering degree and a Master of Business System degree from the Monash University, and a Master of Management degree in Financial Management from the Macquarie University.

As National Technology Officer at Microsoft Hong Kong, Mr. Fred Sheu supports policy decision and delivers technologically relevant solutions into Hong Kong market. Fred’s main objectives are to align IT value propositions to public policies in such areas as healthcare, education, the environment, and local social and economic development; and to promote a digital agenda in top policy areas, including innovation, AI, security and privacy, technology neutrality, accessibility, and interoperability.

Prior to Microsoft, Fred worked with Hewlett Packard (HP) Enterprise where he was the General Manager of Software for HPE Hong Kong.

Fred is an active veteran in Hong Kong ICT industry, he serves in councils of Hong Kong Computer Society (HKCS), itSMF Hong Kong Chapter and the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation (HKITF). Other public services roles that Mr. Fred Sheu is currently serving include Member of Innovation and Technology Training Board (ITBB) of VTC and Convener of its IT sub-committee, Member of OGCIO’s Advisory Committee of the “IT Innovation Lab in Schools” program, Vice Chairman of Innovation, Data and Communication Committee of Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, and Member of sub-group on Talent Development of HKSAR Government’s Digital Economy Development Committee.

Fred graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Computer Science (Hon) degree.

Dr. Dan is the director of the Product Specialist Group at Fitch Solutions, having over 20 years of experience with leading credit rating agencies, including Fitch and S&P. His career in these organizations is distinguished by his success in various roles, such as product specialist, model development, product development, solutions architect, and market intelligence. Prior to joining the credit rating industry, Dr. Dan honed his expertise as a risk consultant at a Big 4 consulting firm and began his professional journey as a credit analyst in the banking sector. He holds a doctoral degree from the City University of Hong Kong, with a focus on bank credit ratings, and two Master's degrees in Information & Technology Management and Finance from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Curtin University, respectively.

Dr. Frank Tong Fuk-Kay is a distinguished leader in Hong Kong's technology and finance sectors, currently serving as the Managing Partner of QBN Capital. With a diverse background that spans fundamental academic research and business operations in both small and large corporations, he brings a wealth of experience to his current role. Before QBN Capital, Frank was the Global Head of Innovation and Strategic Investments at HSBC, where he played a crucial role in advancing the bank's FinTech initiatives. His efforts included fostering collaborations with universities and FinTech startups, significantly enhancing HSBC's innovation landscape. Prior to his tenure at HSBC, Frank served as the CEO of the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI).

There, he focused on key technology areas such as FinTech, smart cities, and semiconductor technologies. Under his leadership, ASTRI formed significant partnerships with major banks, universities, and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), promoting extensive research and development in financial technologies. His initiatives helped position Hong Kong as a global FinTech hub. Frank holds advanced degrees from Columbia University, where he earned his PhD while conducting research at MIT Lincoln Laboratories. His career began at IBM Research, followed by professorships at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He has also held executive roles at TDK and Hisense, showcasing his extensive expertise in both research and practical applications of technology. In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Frank is actively involved in charity, community service, and education. He serves as an adjunct professor at CUHK and participates in various advisory capacities at CUHK, HKUST, and many technology startups, reflecting his commitment to nurturing the next generation of leaders in technology and finance.

Ms. Nancy Cheng currently serves as the Head of Partnership and Innovation at Hang Seng Bank. In her position, she is responsible for overseeing firm-wide innovation projects and strategic partnerships, focusing on areas such as the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and the development of new business models with innovation companies.

Before joining Hang Seng, Nancy gained extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions across various industries. Additionally, she possesses a strong background in the insurance sector from her tenure at a regional insurance firm.

Dr. Alfred MA is a FinTech practitioner and researcher. He holds a PhD in Operations Research from Columbia University, and an MPhil and BSc in Mathematics from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is a CFA charter holder, Professional Risk Manager (PRM), Associate of Society of Actuaries (ASA), and Chartered Engineer (CEng). He has more than 5 years of full-time and part-time teaching experience in quantitative finance area in the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, City University of Hong Kong and Lingnan University. He has published more than 20 articles in peer-reviewed journals including Journal of Computational Finance, Journal of Financial Data Science, and Journal of Trading.

Robert Lui is Hong Kong Digital Asset Leader, Capital Market Services Group Hong Kong Offering Services Leader, and Audit & Assurance partner of Deloitte China.

Overseeing Deloitte’s digital asset program in Hong Kong, Robert works closely with regulators, trading platforms, custodians, and asset managers on licensing, compliance review, and security token offering projects. With over 20 years of professional experience, he has led over 50 IPO engagements with listed companies, growth enterprises and overseas corporations in a broad range of industries, covering audit & assurance, digitalization, and mergers & acquisition services.

As a Member of the HKSAR Government’s Task Force on Promoting Web3 Development, Robert plays an active role in supporting the growth of Hong Kong’s digital asset and Web3 ecosystem. His other key external appointments include Divisional President of Greater China for CPA Australia, Board Director of the Hong Kong Securities and Investment Institute, and Council Member and Court Member of the City University of Hong Kong.

Brit Blakeney is Senior Vice President in the Digital Advisory & Wealth Management group for the Asia Pacific Region of Franklin Templeton. Based in Hong Kong, Brit is focused on driving the digital product and tech-enabled distribution strategy, working with internal partners and clients. Brit also oversees research, commercial partnerships, strategic acquisitions, and investments into distribution related fintech firms in Asia.

Prior to this role, Brit was Head of Innovation and Ecosystems for DBS Bank Hong Kong. Brit has also held senior positions at major data & analytics, media and internet companies, such as Dun & Bradstreet, AOL and Univision, and helped launch and run several successful internet and financial startups.

Brit holds a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) from Georgetown University and also studied at the Université Stendhal in Grenoble, France. She is on the WealthTech and InvestTech committee of the FinTech Association of Hong Kong, a member of Women in Tech Hong Kong, a founding Advisory Committee member of CEFAR (CUHK Engineering, Fintech and Applied Research Academy), Greater Bay Fintech Talent Initiative Advisor, and is a regular speaker at industry events across Asia.

Transaction Banker of the Year by The Asian Banker (2018)

SME Banker of the Year by The Asset (2018 & 2023)

John is currently responsible for Hang Seng wholesale banking cash management business and strategy with coverage across sales, product management, digital banking channel development and client implementation. He has thorough knowledge and solid experience on commercial banking.

John is a solid commercial banking executive with proven track record in delivering exceptional strong and sustainable business result. He possesses over 30 years of banking experience and specialized on transaction banking. Prior to joining Hang Seng Bank in 2015, John spent 25 years with Standard Chartered Hong Kong and China. He has successful career span in leading business transformation and managing changes effectively. He is an active influencer on digital innovation and latest banking development eg like CBDC.

John has strong leadership and has Asia Pacific working experience in Hong Kong, China and a few APR countries. He got multi-cultural appreciation in working with people of different nationalities and background. He was named Transaction Banker of the Year by The Asian Banker and SME Banker of the Year by The Asset in 2018 & 2023 respectively.  John holds an MBA from the Henley Management College in the UK.

Derrick has 25 years of regional P&L management experience in AI powered regtech, fraud prevention, cloud computing, AI/ML, Azure gaming infrastructure, enterprise data center, product management, managed security, data protection and managed services in Asia Pacific and global markets, responsible for direct sales, BD, partner sales, presales, product management, delivery and customer success.

His previous roles include GM, Apps and Infra, Azure at Microsoft Asia. Derrick's current role is General Manager for International Business, Digital Technologies in Ant Group. He leads a team of BDs, solutions architects, engineers and developers to grow the business from 0 to 1: productize, localize, deliver and manage various innovative fintech solutions and services (AI powered eKYC, eKYB, AML, fraud prevention, MPC credit rating, super-app, etc) for both internal Ant Group and external FSI, telco, govt customers.

Emily has 10 years of experience in the financial data industry and currently works in Bloomberg. She is a staunch proponent of integrating the academia with industry practice – Emily is a university part-time lecturer and pioneered the development of finance laboratories in Hong Kong universities. She is an executive committee member of a number of professional and industrial organisations. Emily is an executive committee member of the HKUBBA Association, a member of the Chartered Market Technician Association, an external professional advisor for UOW College and a former committee member of the FinTech Association of Hong Kong. She routinely speaks in university guest lectures and industry conferences on technology, data and technical analysis. She served in the HKSAR Government as an Assistant Secretary, who is responsible for policy formulation, resource allocation and the promotion of the interests of the HKSAR.

Emily is an avid volunteer and scales the cultivation of financial and technological inclusion and literacy through her networks. She led Government-subvented volunteer organisations. Her work on youth development has been featured by the Government for public recognition.
 

Dr. Chib is a seasoned Capital Markets professional with 27 years international experience with leading banks based in Hong Kong, New York and Toronto. He is the Asia CAO - Financial Institutions Sales & Solutions at Citi based in Hong Kong.

Dr. Chib is also passionate about Responsible Finance, ESG, Diversity & Talent. He is engaged with several committees and industry associations including the Co-Chair of the COO Markets committee at ASIFMA; FinTech Association of Hong Kong, Canadian Chamber of Commerce and various ESG and Citi Talent related task forces. He is also involved with several mentorship programs.

Dr. Chib received his Doctorate degree in Business Administration in October 2020 from City University of Hong Kong in Organizational Behaviour and leadership with a focus on the younger generation within Financial Services. He has a MBA (Executive MBA) and a BSc. in Quantitative Economics (with honors) from University of Toronto.

Charlotte Wong is a seasoned banking and technology professional with over 20 years of experience. Since joining HSBC in 2001, Charlotte has held several key leadership positions across technology teams globally and regionally, in the domains of Global Markets, Securities Services and Wholesale. She is recently appointed as the Chief Information Officer Hong Kong of HSBC, leading the technology and transformation agenda to deliver faster, easier and more secure digital banking.

Charlotte graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and Information Systems, and she also holds a Master of Engineering Degree in System Engineering and Management from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Charlotte is very passionate in education, especially how technology could enable quality and assessable education. Outside her professional role, she volunteers as a Girl Guide/Scout commissioner and leader and is an active member in the global Girl Guiding and Scouting movement, in advocating leadership development for girls and young women. She is also pursuing a Master of Education degree and acts as the technology advisor of an EdTech start-up in Hong Kong.

Mr. Robert Lui is the Hong Kong Digital Asset Leader, Southern Region Government Affairs Unit leader, Capital Market Services Group-Southern Region Offering Services Leader and Audit & Assurance partner of Deloitte China. He has over twenty years working experience in Deloitte China. Over the years, Robert has provided audit & assurance, digitalization, merger & acquisition services to listed companies, growth enterprises and overseas companies. In addition, he is responsible for the affairs and relationship with the Government Units and the development of the Greater Bay Area.

Being the Capital Market Services Group Leader of Deloitte China Southern Region, Robert assisted more than fifty entities in their initial public offerings in The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited.

Dr. Chib is a seasoned Capital Markets professional with 27 years international experience with leading banks based in Hong Kong, New York and Toronto. He is the Asia CAO - Financial Institutions Sales & Solutions at Citi based in Hong Kong.

Dr. Chib is also passionate about Responsible Finance, ESG, Diversity & Talent. He is engaged with several committees and industry associations including the Co-Chair of the COO Markets committee at ASIFMA; FinTech Association of Hong Kong, Canadian Chamber of Commerce and various ESG and Citi Talent related task forces. He is also involved with several mentorship programs.

Dr. Chib received his Doctorate degree in Business Administration in October 2020 from City University of Hong Kong in Organizational Behaviour and leadership with a focus on the younger generation within Financial Services. He has a MBA (Executive MBA) and a BSc. in Quantitative Economics (with honors) from University of Toronto.

Jennifer is a highly respected accounting professional and Fintech leader who has taken on senior management roles for over two decades. She is recently elected as the Global Council Member of ACCA for 2022-2025. In 2021, she was winner of the Outstanding Women Professionals and Entrepreneurs Award and was named by the Fintech Magazine as one of Fintech’s Top 100 Leaders in a global league table. In 2019, she was named ACCA Advocate of the Year, both for Hong Kong and Greater China, and was the Chairlady of ACCA Hong Kong for 2021/22. Jennifer is also the consultative and advisory panel member of Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation and the EXCO Member of the FinTech Specialist Group of Hong Kong Computer Society

Dr. Alfred MA is a FinTech practitioner and researcher. He holds a PhD in Operations Research from Columbia University, and an MPhil and BSc in Mathematics from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is a CFA charter holder, Professional Risk Manager (PRM), Associate of Society of Actuaries (ASA), and Chartered Engineer (CEng). He has more than 5 years of full-time and part-time teaching experience in quantitative finance area in the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, City University of Hong Kong and Lingnan University. He has published more than 20 articles in peer-reviewed journals including Journal of Computational Finance, Journal of Financial Data Science, and Journal of Trading.

Alfred is now a managing director in CASH Algo Finance Group (CAFG) which started the first algo trading strategy in 2009 and officially entered the FinTech space at HKSTP in 2016. CAFG obtained the various FinTech awards including Fintech of the year 2018 (start up) by etnet. It managed funds both in Hong Kong and China. CAFG has also been training new algo trading strategists in Hong Kong and organized two times inter-university algo trading competition with participants from top universities in both Hong Kong and China including Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Fudan University.

Emily is a Buyside Solution Specialist and leads the APAC news advocacy strategy in Bloomberg. Emily is a staunch proponent of integrating the academia with industry practice - she is a university part-time lecturer and pioneered the development of finance laboratories in Hong Kong universities.She is an Executive Committee member of a number of professional and industrial organisations. Emily is an Executive Committee Member of the HKUBBA Association, a Member of the Chartered Market Technician Association, an External Professional Advisor for UOW College and a former Committee Member of the FinTech Association of Hong Kong. She routinely speaks in university guest lectures and industry conferences on technology, data and technical analysis. She served in the HKSAR Government as an Assistant Secretary, who is responsible for policy formulation, resource allocation and the promotion of the interests of the HKSAR.

Emily is an avid volunteer and scales the cultivation of financial and technological inclusion and literacy through her networks. She led Government-subvented volunteer organisations and her work on youth development has been featured by the Government for public recognition.

Peter is Currently part of the Asset Management, Venture team. Previously, Director of Innovation, for the Asia region, within the Wealth & Personal Banking business at HSBC including Hong Kong Fintech Week program, RISE, = Women in Tech Program.

Prior to that spent 15 years at Intel Semiconductor. Held positions in Product management, Branding & campaign development, Retail engagement and sales, Social media community creation, developed, launched and managed multiple USD100M+ products across Asia for Intel Semiconductor, including Centrino, Core2Duo, Core2 Quad, Xeon Processors.

Dan is a director of the product specialist group at Fitch Solutions, a member of Fitch Group. Fitch, S&P and Moody’s are the big 3 credit rating agencies. Dan has over 20 years’ credit-related experience including 17 years at Fitch and S&P in a variety of roles, such as product & market management, credit risk modeler, regulatory compliance consultant, and solutions architect. Before his career in credit rating agencies, Dan worked as a risk consultant and corporate credit analyst at E&Y and DBS Bank.

He holds 2 masters degrees, one in Finance and another in Information & Technology Management. He is currently pursuing his doctoral degree with a research topic about bank credit ratings.

Dr. Chib is a seasoned Capital Markets professional with 27 years international experience with leading banks based in Hong Kong, New York and Toronto. He is the Asia Pacific COO - Financial Institutions Sales & Solutions at Citi based in Hong Kong.

Dr. Chib is also passionate about Responsible Finance, ESG, Diversity & Talent. He is engaged with several committees and industry associations including the Co-Chair of the COO Markets committee at ASIFMA; FinTech Association of Hong Kong, Canadian Chamber of Commerce and various ESG and Citi Talent related task forces. He is also involved with several mentorship programs.

Dr. Chib received his Doctorate degree in Business Administration in October 2020 from City University of Hong Kong in Organizational Behaviour and leadership with a focus on the younger generation within Financial Services. He has a MBA (Executive MBA) and a BSc. in Quantitative Economics (with honors) from University of Toronto.

Working as technologist for over 20 years from retail insurance to commercial banking and wealth management industries. He has gained a lot of exposure in various technology architecture and platforms. In recent years, he focused on the Asia-Pacific region and leveraged customer-centric design principles. He has developed a few key digital products including WeChat mini-banking, trade finance blockchain platform and other digital banking products for retails and ultra-high net-worth individuals. 

In livi bank, he is now fully dedicated to promoting financial inclusion and delivering secure, safe and customer-centric banking experience to HK customers.

Stephen is the Wealth and Personal Banking Head of IT of Hang Seng Bank, one of the leading bank in Hong Kong. Stephen oversees the IT services under Wealth and Personal Banking business, while spearheading the fintech innovation to improve the delivery and use of financial services, also to cultivate the bank innovation culture.

Stephen’s path has taken him from a career as an application engineer to life as a IT head and an innovator. His previous works have brought him to gain experience from various organizations, ranging from local bank, Government, European bank, US bank and Chinese bank. Over his 20+ years’ experience in Banking sector since, Stephen has played different roles including Application delivery, IT service management, IT management and Innovation. He believes that entrepreneurial culture can transform big organization and drive business growth via continuous innovation.