Looking back on our hundred-year history, HKU stands with pride as one of the top higher education institutions in Asia. In today’s world with great changes unseen in a century, we confront significant global challenges, including climate change, resource depletion, and social inequality. These pressing issues constantly address the need for us to work collectively, to build a more equitable society and shape a more sustainable future.

As the Dean of HKU Business School, I believe it is our responsibility, as a prominent institution, to tackle these issues head-on by maximising our educational and research capacity, leveraging the potential of the partnerships and engagement, calling for collaborative endeavours, to make real world impact. Such philosophy, dedication and efforts have culminated in this inaugural sustainability report, marking a significant step in further promoting sustainability across our campuses in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shenzhen, Vietnam, and Tel Aviv.

Comprehending sustainability is a key part of this education. We attract top students from Hong Kong and beyond, offering the world-class business education that helps them navigate the fast-changing global economic landscape. That means to equip our students with the deep understanding of the intricacy and interconnectedness of sustainability issues and further inspire them to devise innovative solutions. To this end, we include sustainability topics in all our traditional business subjects like marketing, finance, and accounting, so our graduates are well prepared to tackle the real-world environmental and social issues with knowledge and skills. Leveraging the strength of alumni network and their impact, we also navigate connections and promote collaboration, with alumni leading efforts. They apply what they have learned from HKU Business School and make every sustainable transformation counts.

As a leader in ESG research, HKU Business School produces knowledge that influences business practices and informs policy-making. Our faculty conducts research on important topics such as climate finance, environmental policy and ESG disclosure, and many of them have engaged with the HKSAR Government to help develop strategies and initiatives for a sustainable future in Hong Kong. I am proud that our faculty’s research results provide insightful guidance for policy-makers to drive fundamental changes, and have been applied into industrial practices, making real impact.

Collaboration is key to making a difference. As seen in the HKU Jockey Club Enterprise Sustainability Global Research Institute, Impact Lab, iCube and etc., we partner with industry, NGOs and government, to break the barrier, to create the shared value, to brave the waves.

As we have been making great efforts in our sustainability journey, I believe it is the proper time to publish our inaugural Sustainability Report. We are happy to share our sustainability initiatives, the action we take, the progress we make in key areas, including education, alumni engagement, research, partnerships, sustainable operations, etc.

Looking forward, I am genuinely excited about our continued progress and achievements we will make in sustainability. I warmly invite all our students, partners and all of our stakeholders, to explore this report and discover how HKU Business School is stepping up to the challenge and what we expect to achieve together in the future. Every individual and organisation have the unique role to play, and now is the perfect time to step forward and jointly make a difference!

Professor Hongbin Cai

Dean

Chair of Economics