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| Chief Executive
Donald Tsang and Sing Tao News Corp chairman Charles Ho Tsu-kwok
share in the night's celebration. |
¡@¡@Bank of East Asia chairman and chief executive David Li and
Esprit Holdings chairman Michael Ying were praised for their
outstanding roles in Hong Kong's business community when they
were named 2005 Leader of the Year recipients in the annual
awards organized by Sing Tao Daily, The Standard
and Headline Daily.
¡@¡@"I would like to share this honor with my colleagues
and my family," said Li, 66, who was named Leader of the
Year in the finance category, at the presentation ceremony at
Grand Hyatt Tuesday. "It's not only myself who deserves
this award. It's the whole team."
¡@¡@Award presenter Chief Secretary for Administration Rafael
Hui said Li not only made a great contribution to the financial
industry but has also contributed a lot to the social community
over the past 20 years.
¡@¡@Li, with more than 30 years' experience in banking, has developed
Bank of East Asia, which he joined in 1969, into Hong Kong's
largest independent local lender. Under his leadership,BEA achieved
record results last year, with net profit hitting HK$2.75 billion,
a 17 percent increase from 2004.
¡@¡@Among his contributions to the development of Hong Kong's
banking system, Li pressed for the creation of a central bank
in the mid-1980s and for a lender of last resort. His efforts
were rewarded when the Hong Kong Monetary Authority was established
in 1993.
¡@¡@Li is also dedicated to serving the community, serving in
many community organizations such as the Executive Council as
well as chairing the Chinese Banks' Association and the Hong
Kong Management Association.
¡@¡@Esprit's Ying, 55, was named Leader of the Year in the business
category.
¡@¡@"Ying's company is one of the best examples of a Hong
Kong company that has succeeded in penetrating overseas markets,"
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing chairman Charles Lee said in
presenting Ying with his award.
¡@¡@"Esprit symbolizes the innovation and success that people
associate with Hong Kong companies."
¡@¡@ Esprit net profit rose 15.7 percent to HK$1.9 billion in
the six months to the end of December. The company derived 85
percent of its first-half turnover of HK$11.8 billion from Europe,
12 percent from the Asia-Pacific region and 3 percent from North
America.
¡@¡@In recent years, Ying has been playing a less active role
in Esprit's day-to-day operations, which he has left in the
hands of other senior executives.
¡@¡@"I don't think I have a choice, as we are trying to expand
our business in other global markets," Ying said. "We
need a strong team to take the business to the next level."
¡@¡@ Other award winners were Ocean Park chairman Allan Zeman,
who won in the community/public affairs category, and Samuel
Sun, professor of biology in the Chinese University of Hong
Kong, who won in the education/research category.
¡@¡@Yu Chui-yee, a wheelchair fencing international gold medalist,
won in the sports/culture/performing arts category.
¡@¡@Hui said the annual Sing Tao News Corp Leader of the Year
award is the most influential and important of its type in the
city. "Over the 12 years that Sing Tao has been running
the award, it has gained the reputation as being the most credible
in the eyes of the general public," Hui said.
¡@¡@"We want to congratulate all the award winners, who have
all demonstrated outstanding dedication and accomplishments
in their respective fields," Sing Tao News Corp chairman
Charles Ho Tsu-kwok said.
Donald Tsang meets Charles
Ho at the cocktail. |
Norman Chan headed the
panel in choosing the winners. |
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| David Li is all smiles after
getting his Leader of the Year in finance award from Rafael
Hui. |
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| Michael Ying, with wife Brigitte
Lin Ching Hsia, is the Leader of Year in business. |
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| Community affairs winner Allan
Zeman gives a speech |
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| Samuel Sun gets his award from
university grants chief Alice Lam. |
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| Athlete Yu Chui-yee is handed
the award by coach Zheng Kang-zhao. |
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