Honorary University Fellows
Mr Leong Ka Chai is a distinguished leader in the securities and derivatives sector, and together with Dr Lawrence Fung and Mr Stanley Chu, founded the Adsale Group of Companies, Roctec Group of Companies, and the Musketeers Education & Culture Charitable Foundation.
Mr Leong is a fellow member of the Hong Kong Securities Institute and has made major contributions to the development of Hong Kong’s financial markets, including inter alia as Director of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx), Chairman of the Hong Kong Futures Exchange (HKFE), and Director of both HKFE and HKFE Clearing Corporation. In 2011, he was inducted into the “Futures Hall of Fame” of the Futures Industry Association in the US.
Mr Leong holds a BA in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an MA in Buddhist Studies from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. He has been committed to the educational development of financial professionals in Hong Kong, lending his expertise and experience as Chairman of the Advisory Committee of City University of Hong Kong’s Department of Economics and Finance and as an Advisory Committee Member of Baptist University’s Department of Finance. He was also a member of the Professional Education Committee of the Hong Kong Securities Institute.
The MaMa Charitable Foundation and the Musketeers Education and Culture Charitable Foundation Ltd have been key channels for Mr Leong to further his advocacy for educational and cultural development. The MaMa Charitable Foundation has lent invaluable support to the HKU Centre of Buddhist Studies since its early founding days and throughout its development. The Visiting Professorship and Postgraduate Scholarship that bear the Foundation’s name have been instrumental in promoting the study and understanding of Buddhist philosophy.
Mr Leong is also dedicated to public service and voluntary work, and has served as a member of the Task Force on Economic Challenges under the Chief Executive and as Chairman of the Finance Committee of the Queen Elizabeth Foundation for the Mentally Handicapped. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1996, a Justice of the Peace in 1997, and awarded a Silver Bauhinia Star in 2005.
Citation delivered by Professor Derek Collins, Dean of Arts
Mr Leong Ka Chai is a distinguished leader in the securities and derivatives sector, and together with Dr Lawrence Fung and Mr Stanley Chu, founded the Adsale Group of Companies and the Roctec Group of Companies.
Mr Leong is a fellow member of the Hong Kong Securities Institute and has made major contributions to the development of Hong Kong’s financial markets, including inter alia as Director of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, Chairman of the Hong Kong Futures Exchange, and Director of both HKFE and the HKFE Clearing Corporation. In 2011, he was inducted into the “Futures Hall of Fame” of the Futures Industry Association in the US.
Mr Leong holds a BA in Economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and an MA in Buddhist Studies from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. He has been committed to the educational development of financial professionals in Hong Kong, serving as Chairman of the Advisory Committee of City University of Hong Kong’s Department of Finance and Economics and as an Advisory Committee Member of Baptist University’s Department of Finance. He was also a member of the Professional Education Committee of the Hong Kong Securities Institute.
Following several successful decades in the securities and derivatives sector, Mr Leong has now brought together his practical business experience and his Buddhist scholarship to focus on realising a vision of Hong Kong society that is both prosperous and spiritually enriched. The MaMa Charitable Foundation and the Musketeers Education and Culture Charitable Foundation Ltd have been key channels for Mr Leong to further his advocacy for educational and cultural development.
Mr Pro-Chancellor, many of us here will be familiar with the term alma mater in the context of a university. It is from the Latin, meaning bountiful or nourishing mother, and when used to describe the university one has attended, it helps convey a sense of gratitude to the support and experiences that institution has given us, and our sense of loyalty and belonging to it.
So it is gratifying to know that the “MaMa” in the MaMa Charitable Foundation stands for exactly what it sounds like, because the Foundation was affectionately established by the Leong family to honour Mr Leong’s beloved mother, who was a devout Buddhist.
The Foundation has lent invaluable support to the Centre of Buddhist Studies in the HKU Faculty of Arts from when it was first established and throughout its development. The Visiting Professorship and Postgraduate Scholarship that bear the Foundation’s name have been instrumental in promoting the study and understanding of Buddhist philosophy.
The Foundation and Mr Leong have indeed been bountiful and generous to the Faculty and the University, and we are deeply grateful for their belief in us.
Mr Leong is also dedicated to public service and voluntary work, and has served as a member of the Task Force on Economic Challenges under the Chief Executive from 2008 to 2009, and as Chairman of the Finance Committee of Queen Elizabeth Foundation for the Mentally Handicapped from 2006 to 2009. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1996, a Justice of the Peace in 1997, and awarded a Silver Bauhinia Star in 2005.
Therefore, Mr Pro-Chancellor, it is my great pleasure to present Mr Leong Ka Chai for the Honorary University Fellowship, in recognition of his contributions to Hong Kong and academia.