EMBA CEO Forum with Dr David Pang

The College of Business has invited Dr David J Pang, CEO of Kerry Group Kuok Foundation Limited, Chairman of South China Morning Post and Director of Kerry Holdings Limited, to share his insights with CityU EMBA students on the topic of Our Perseverance in Solving Social Problems. The forum took place in Academic 3 on 16th June.

Dr Pang, an experienced business management professional who has worked in a variety of multi-national enterprises, expressed his concern about the prevalent problems of inequality and poverty in the Hong Kong and mainland China communities. 

What does poverty mean in our generation? Dr Pang gave a new definition: “It is not referring to a lack of food, clothing, or money, but instead to little or no opportunity given to oneself. It also means no hope. Despair is therefore much worse than poverty.”  

Dr Pang also discussed issues raised by the tradition of inheriting family wealth in Chinese culture. He described this as one of the root causes of social problems. “The practice somehow takes away the opportunities of those who are less well-off, be that of career, community, or personal life.” 

Dr Pang believes one of the most efficient ways to help the underprivileged is to offer them a chance to develop their own capabilities. In turn they may even create opportunities for others.  This process could be actualized through collaboration with charities.  Working along these lines, Dr Pang has been organizing and participating in various voluntary projects such as the Changing Yong Lives Foundation and Homes for Hope, as well as making village visits to various regions of China. 

“To make this work more practical and realistic in the long run, I’ve set up a sustainable operation model for the projects – Establish, Practice, Improve and Replicate.”  Dr Pang shared his vision for forthcoming projects and expressed the hope that students would remain alert to the existence of social problems throughout their entrepreneurial careers.

About the speaker

Dr David J Pang is a businessman, engineer, and academic, and has been the Director of Kerry Holdings Limited since 2007. He has held various senior management positions in global corporations and taught at numerous universities in North America and Asia.

For more information about the speaker, please click here.