Eminent entrepreneurs, politician, artist and educationist
awarded honorary doctoral degrees
Mr Thomas Chan Chun-hoo
(Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa)
Mr Thomas Chan Chun-hoo is the Chairman and Executive Director of Playmates Holdings Limited, the first toy company to be listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange. Playmates obtained the licence for the then little known ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ and the phenomenal success propelled the company to global recognition. It was accredited as the most profitable toy group in the world in 1990 and 1991 by Forbes magazine. Mr Chan initiated the development of a pioneering market data system capable of tracking and analysing the sale and inventories of products. His concept, which helps prolong product life cycles and reduce inventory risks, later became the foundation for developing the now industry-wide system operated by Electronic Data Interchange. Mr Chan has made donations for students to study at universities such as Cambridge, Yale and Princeton and to complete their education in Hong Kong and mainland China. He is also a sponsor of the OUHK’s Campus Phase II development.
Dr Chung King-fai
(Doctor of Letters, honoris causa)
Dr Chung King-fai is a renowned actor, director and educator with significant contributions to the performing arts of Hong Kong. He was the first person to present the Theatre of the Absurd and Broadway musicals to the Hong Kong audience in Cantonese and was instrumental in formalizing Hong Kong’s drama education as an academic discipline. Over the years he has directed and performed in over 100 stage productions. He has been performing in both theatre and television and was presented with the Drama Achievement Award by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, the HKSAR Bronze Bauhinia Star and a World Outstanding Chinese award. Dr Chung holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Speech and Drama from the Oklahoma Baptist University, a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama, an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy Degree from the Armstrong University of California and an Honorary Fellowship from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA). He was a drama lecturer at the former Hong Kong Baptist College and the Founding Dean of Drama of HKAPA.
Mr Chen Zuoer
(Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa)
Mr Chen Zuoer has worked with the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office for 20 years. As a Chinese representative of the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group, he was actively engaged in pre-1997 negotiations over major transitional issues concerning Hong Kong’s return to China. After graduating from the College of Foreign Languages of Fujian Normal University, he worked as a teacher, a journalist, an editor and later as director of the Fujian Branch of China News Agency. He took charge of the agency’s Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan unit, and was appointed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress as a member of the Preparatory Committees for the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions. Mr Chen was Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office from 1998 until his retirement in 2008. He is now a member of the Standing Committee of the 11th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Vice President of the Committee of Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan Compatriots, as well as a part-time university professor. He has written prose and translated children’s storybooks.
Mr Stanley Ko Kam-chuen
(Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa)
Mr Stanley Ko Kam-chuen, an outstanding entrepreneur, holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Hong Kong. He is currently the Chairman of Jardine Airport Services Limited and an advisor to the Board of Jardine Matheson Limited. He joined Jardine Matheson as a Resident Executive in the Shipping Agency Division in 1970 and was made a Director of Jardine, Matheson & Company Limited in 1988 and appointed the Chairman of Jardine Matheson (China) Limited in 1999. He has held various positions in public bodies including membership on the Hong Kong Tourism Board and the Innovation and Technology Fund General Support Programme Vetting Committee as well as chairmanship of the Hong Kong Coalition of the Service Industries. He joined the OUHK Council in 1998 and was its Deputy Chairman from 2002 to 2008, during which he has provided much guidance and support for the university’s various developments. Mr Ko is now an independent non-executive director of SW Kingsway Capital Holdings Limited and The Link Management Limited. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1996 and awarded the HKSAR Bronze Bauhinia Star in 2000.
Prof. Zhang Deming
(Doctor of Letters, honoris causa)
Prof. Zhang Deming graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chinese Language and Literature from Fudan University in 1976 and remained there to embark on a career in education. In 1994, he became a professor and head of the newly established Shanghai Education Television Station. Six years later, Shanghai Television University, Shanghai Education Television Station, Shanghai Audiovisual Education Studio and Shanghai Television Secondary Specialized School were merged as the Shanghai Distance Education Group, which has been led by Prof. Zhang as President to this day. Under Prof. Zhang’s leadership, Shanghai Television University has become the largest tertiary institution in Shanghai and the first educational institution in China presented with the UNESCO King Harmad Prize in 2008. Taking advantage of the Internet and satellite technologies, Prof. Zhang shares the group’s educational resources with remote rural areas in western China. The group has also sponsored developing countries to provide their own educators with training for the deployment of information technology in distance education. |
Skip to Content
The Open University of Hong Kong 2012
