Honorary University Fellows
Dr Adrian Cheng is the CEO of New World Development Company Limited, overseeing the group’s strategy and ecosystem of property development, infrastructure, retail, health and wellness, insurance, education, and hospitality projects.
Dr Cheng holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree (cum laude) from Harvard University. He was conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities by the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2014, and an Honorary Fellowship by Lingnan University in 2014. He served as a member of the Court of the University of Hong Kong from 2012 to 2018.
In 2008, Dr Cheng created the “K11” brand, an ecosystem intertwining art, culture, commerce and society that incubates creativity and innovation, nurtures arts talents, and facilitates the interconnectedness of young designers and cultural entrepreneurs in a commercial environment. He also founded the non-profit K11 Art Foundation and the K11 Craft & Guild Foundation, the former aiming at incubating up-and-coming artists and creators, and the latter for conserving and preserving Chinese traditional craftsmanship. In 2020, Dr Cheng announced that New World Development would take on the conservation of the State Theatre, a Grade 1-listed historic building, with some 70 years of history and cultural significance.
In recent years, Adrian has been transforming New World Development into the first listed company in Hong Kong to incorporate Creating Shared Value (CSV) into its core strategy, and founded “New World Build for Good”, a not-for-profit social housing enterprise, and “Share for Good”, Hong Kong’s first large-scale crowd-donation platform.
Dr Cheng was appointed Justice of the Peace by the HKSAR Government in 2016, and was awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS) in 2022 in recognition of his remarkable contributions to the development and promotion of arts and the well-being of the underprivileged in Hong Kong. Internationally, he was awarded the Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters (Officier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) by the French Government in 2017, a prestigious recognition of his role in the advancement of cultural exchange between France and China. His dedication to society has won him the Shared Value Champion in 2020, the first CEO in Asia to claim this title.
Citation delivered by Professor Derek COLLINS, Dean of Arts
Dr Adrian Cheng Chi Kong is the CEO of New World Development Company Limited, overseeing the group’s strategy and ecosystem of property development, infrastructure, retail, health and wellness, insurance, education, and hospitality projects.
Dr Cheng holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree (cum laude) from Harvard University. He is the eldest grandson of Hong Kong’s renowned business leader, Dr Cheng Yu-Tung, and after joining the family business, New World Development Company Limited, in 2007, proceeded to make his mark by demonstrating his exceptional business acumen and entrepreneurial flair. He was named its Executive Vice-Chairman and General Manager in 2017.
In 2008, Dr Cheng created the K11 brand, a museum-retail complex intertwining art, culture and commerce. In recent years, he has been dedicated to building the “Silicon Valley of Culture” in Greater China, a business and cultural ecosystem that fosters creativity and innovation, nurtures arts talents, and facilitates the networking of young designers and cultural entrepreneurs.
He also founded the non-profit K11 Art Foundation and the K11 Craft & Guild Foundation – the former being an incubator for up-and-coming artists and creators, and the latter for conserving and preserving Chinese traditional craftsmanship.
I also know from personal experience Dr Cheng is an important collector of contemporary art, including Chinese, Asian and western art, he is a pioneer in his support of the digital evolution of art, and he is an influential collaborator with many important, global art institutions.
In 2020, Dr Cheng announced that New World Development would take on the conservation of the State Theatre. This Grade 1-listed historic building, with some 70 years of history and cultural significance, was a hub for East-meets-West cultural exchange. Working with a local and international team of experts, including some from HKU, his goal was to revitalise the much-loved building, which had sadly fallen into disrepair, preserve its heritage and restore it to its original glory and glamour.
In recent years, Adrian has been transforming New World Development into the first listed company in Hong Kong to incorporate “Creating Shared Value” into its core strategy. This strategy asserts that commercial enterprises have an obligation to take care of other stakeholders in the community for the mutual benefit of corporations and society.
He founded “New World Build for Good”, a not-for-profit social housing enterprise aimed at exploring innovative social housing models for Hong Kong citizens across the economic spectrum. It is piloting the building of Hong Kong's first not-for-profit privately subsidised housing project, providing high quality and affordable flats to young families.
He also founded Hong Kong’s first large-scale crowd-donation platform “Share for Good”, matching donors with the urgent needs of local communities online and facilitating efficient delivery of supplies to all those in need during the COVID pandemic.
From cultural ecosystem to the global, environmental one, and of particular relevance to the University: Dr Cheng has lent his support to the Eco-Leaders Training Programme of the HKU School of Biological Sciences. Through his sponsorship in 2010, our students gained rare real-life experience and practical training in the Masai Mara National Reserve in East Africa to prepare them as young leaders in nature conservation.
Dr Cheng served as a member of the Court of the University of Hong Kong from 2012 to 2018, when he could also be found on campus sharing his experience and insights with our students. He was conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities by the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2014, and an Honorary Fellowship by Lingnan University in 2014.
Dr Cheng was appointed Justice of the Peace in 2016, and was awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star in 2022.
Internationally, his dedication to society won him the Shared Value Champion in 2020, the first CEO in Asia to be awarded this title. In 2017, he was presented with the award of Officier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French Government, in recognition of his contributions to cultural exchange between France and China.
Therefore, Mr Pro-Chancellor, it is my great pleasure to present Dr Adrian Cheng Chi Kong for the Honorary University Fellowship, in recognition of his contributions to Hong Kong, Greater China, the international art world, and academia.