The Career Development & Training team successfully hosted the annual HR Leaders Forum 2023 at the Park Lane Hotel in Causeway Bay. Featuring speeches and panel discussions by leading academics from the HKU Business School and pioneering professionals with participation from our MBA students, the event provided a platform for the HR community in Hong Kong to share best practices and explore future developments in the field.

Prof Jin Li kicked off the forum with his engaging keynote speech on talent attraction. Drawing from his research, Prof Li explained how companies can adapt various strategies, such as de-labelling and offering customised packages, to gain competitive advantage in the labour market.

Moderated by Dr Bonnie Cheng, the first panel of discussion of the event focused on employee engagement and retention in the post-COVID world. Featuring four HR professionals from diverse industries – Bella Chan, HR Director (Central Asia Pacific) at Lenovo, Betty Lam, Head of HR at DBS Bank (HK), Donna Kirmani, Chief HR Officer at Manulife Hong Kong & Macau, and Kerry Rooks, Group Chief People Officer at HKEX – the broad-ranging discussion explored how companies can balance the interests of employees and other stakeholders in a world where hybrid and remote work are becoming the norm.

Combining lessons learnt from his personal and professional life with the latest research in D&I and mental health, Gordon Watson, CEO of AXA Asia & Africa, offered a broad range of insights on building trust and exemplary leadership in his fascinating keynote speech on diversity and inclusion.

The event ended with a panel discussion on transformations in the field of HR. Moderated by Prof Yuk-fai Fong, the three panellists – Jacqueline Chong, Senior BDM, Digital innovation at AWS, Michael Cheng, HR Consulting Partner at PwC, and Florence Wong, Head of HR (Hong Kong, Macau, Japan) and Co-head of HR (GBA) at Standard Chartered Hong Kong – engaged in an in-depth discussion on the role of HR in adding value to businesses as well as future technological trends.

Aside from learning from experienced HR professionals, the Forum also offered an opportunity for practitioners and students to network and connect. Thank you to all the speakers and participants for making the event a great success!