Government Announces Key Appointments for Education and Labour Departments Starting July 2025

Government announces senior appointments

The Government announced today (June 13) the following senior appointments:

(a) Ms May Chan Wing-shiu, Commissioner for Labour, will take up the post of Permanent Secretary for Education on July 2, 2025, to succeed Ms Michelle Li Mei-sheung who will proceed on pre-retirement leave on the same day;

(b) Mr Sam Hui Chark-shum, Deputy Secretary for Health, will take up the post of Commissioner for Labour on July 2, 2025; and

(c) Ms Kinnie Wong Kit-yee, Head (Policy Coordination), Chief Secretary for Administration's Private Office, will take up the post of Registrar of Companies on July 3, 2025, to succeed Miss Helen Tang, who has proceeded on pre-retirement leave.

Commenting on the appointment of Ms Chan, Mr Hui and Ms Wong, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said, "The appointees are seasoned Administrative Officers with proven leadership and management skills. I have every confidence that they will continue to serve the community with professionalism in their new capacity."

On the retirement of the two senior officials, Mrs Yeung thanked them for each rendering over 30 years of loyal and dedicated service to the community and making significant contributions to the Government. She wished them a fulfilling and happy retirement.

Mrs Yeung said, "During Ms Li's tenure as Permanent Secretary for Education, she made commendable efforts in formulating and overseeing the implementation of various policies to promote quality education, developing Hong Kong into an international hub for high-calibre talent, and nurturing young people to become virtuous and capable lifelong learners with global competitiveness, positive values and love for our country and the city. She made valuable contributions to enhancing the quality of education, strengthening the professionalism of teachers, enhancing governance of schools and institutions, expanding vocational and professional education and training, promoting the internationalisation and diversification of the post-secondary sector, as well as catering for students with diverse learning needs."

Turning to Miss Tang, Mrs Yeung said, "During Miss Tang's tenure as Registrar of Companies, she capably led the Companies Registry to provide efficient, cost-effective and quality services for incorporation or registration of companies. She also paved the way for the company re-domiciliation initiative in Hong Kong, which complements the Government's efforts in proactively attracting enterprises and investment."

Brief biographical notes of the five officers are set out below:

Ms Michelle Li Mei-sheung

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Ms Li joined the Administrative Service in September 1988 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade A1 in April 2021. She has served in various bureaux and departments, including the Transport Department, the former City and New Territories Administration, the former Finance Branch, the former Central Policy Unit, the former Education and Manpower Branch, the Chief Secretary for Administration's Office, the Home Affairs Department, the former Home Affairs Bureau, the Joint Secretariat for the Advisory Bodies on Civil Service and Judicial Salaries and Conditions of Service and the Education Bureau. She served as Director of Leisure and Cultural Services from July 2014 to September 2019, Permanent Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (Financial Services) from September 2019 to August 2020, and has been serving as Permanent Secretary for Education since August 2020.

Miss Helen Tang

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Miss Tang joined the Administrative Service in July 1988 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade B1 in April 2022. She has served in various bureaux and departments, including the former City and New Territories Administration, the former Civil Service Branch, the former Health and Welfare Branch, the former Home Affairs Branch, the former Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority, the former Information Technology and Broadcasting Bureau, the former Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau, the Department of Health, the Labour and Welfare Bureau, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and the Chief Secretary for Administration's Office. She was Deputy Director of Government Logistics from April 2014 to April 2021, Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs (later renamed Deputy Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs) from April 2021 to July 2022, and has been serving as Registrar of Companies since July 2022.

Ms May Chan Wing-shiu

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Ms Chan joined the Administrative Service in August 1994 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade A in April 2024. She has served in various bureaux and departments, including the former Constitutional Affairs Branch, the former Home Affairs Branch, the Housing Department, the Security Bureau, the former Constitutional Affairs Bureau, the Home Affairs Department and the Civil Service Bureau. She was Deputy Secretary for Education from October 2017 to December 2020, Deputy Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (Financial Services) from December 2020 to September 2022, and has been serving as Commissioner for Labour since September 2022.

Mr Sam Hui Chark-shum

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Mr Hui joined the Administrative Service in August 1996 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade B1 in April 2024. He has served in various bureaux and departments, including the Home Affairs Department, the former Transport Bureau, the Civil Service Bureau, the former Education and Manpower Bureau, the former Economic Development and Labour Bureau, the former Transport and Housing Bureau, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Geneva, and the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau. He was Deputy Representative to the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels from August 2016 to January 2020, Deputy Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (Financial Services) from January 2020 to April 2023, and has been serving as Deputy Secretary for Health since April 2023.

Ms Kinnie Wong Kit-yee

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Ms Wong joined the Administrative Service in August 1993 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade B in April 2022. She has served in various bureaux and departments, including the Chief Secretary's Office, the former Industry Department, the Home Affairs Department, the former Health and Welfare Bureau, the former Financial Services Bureau (later reorganised as Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau), the former Economic Development and Labour Bureau (later reorganised as Commerce and Economic Development Bureau), the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, and the Chief Executive's Office. She was Principal Assistant Secretary (Treasury) from December 2017 to August 2020, Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs from August 2020 to June 2022, and has been serving as Head (Policy Coordination) to the Chief Secretary for Administration's Private Office since July 2022.

Government announces senior appointments Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Government announces senior appointments Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Government announces senior appointments Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Government announces senior appointments Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Government announces senior appointments Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by CS at Nobel Heroes Forum: Shaping Science and Future

Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, at the Nobel Heroes Forum: Shaping Science and Future today (January 12):

Dr Wong (Chairman of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) Council, Dr Peter Wong), Professor Zhang (President and Vice-Chancellor of the HKU, Professor Zhang Xiang), Mr Turner (Executive Director of Foundation Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, Mr Nikolaus Turner), distinguished Nobel Laureates, esteemed scientists,ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning. It is my great pleasure to join you today for the Nobel Heroes Forum: Shaping Science and Future.

To our Nobel Laureates – we are truly privileged to have you with us. You represent the very best of human curiosity and perseverance. Your ground-breaking work expands our understanding of the universe, lights the path for future discovery, and inspires generations. Thank you for joining this extraordinary gathering.

And to all our distinguished guests from around the world – a very warm welcome to Hong Kong.

Today's dialogue is more than an academic event. It is a powerful convergence of the world's finest scientific minds, right here in a city that is determined to play its part in global innovation.

Hong Kong's mission is clear and unwavering: to become a premier international innovation and technology centre. A hub where top scientists, scholars and entrepreneurs can thrive, collaborate and serve the world.

To achieve this, the Government is fully committed. We are building a world-class ecosystem and nurturing the talent to power it.

First, we are building the infrastructure for greatness.

We have established a strategic I&T framework centred on three major I&T (innovation and technology) parks and five key research and development institutions.

Building on the success of the Science Park and Cyberport, we officially launched the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone last month.

The Hetao Co-operation Zone is a major co-operation platform in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area under the National 14th Five-Year Plan. The Hong Kong Park is envisioned as a world-class hub for technological innovation, connecting the Chinese Mainland with the international community, and serving as an important source for fostering new quality productive forces.

Together with our five key R&D (research and development) institutions focus on frontier technologies, these developments will create more favourable conditions for Hong Kong to attract global I&T resources and talent.

Second, we are investing decisively.

We back our words with resources. We have launched significant funding schemes across the entire innovation chain.

To support excellent and impactful research, the Research Grants Council (RGC) under the University Grants Committee administers more than 20 competitive research grant and fellowship schemes.

Furthermore, last year we launched the 3 billion HK dollars Frontier Technology Research Support Scheme to empower ground-breaking basic research led by world-class researchers and academics.

To accelerate the midstream and downstream development, we rolled out three separate 10 billion HK dollars initiatives to drive the commercialisation of R&D outcomes and new industrialisation.

Third, and most crucially, we are nurturing and attracting top talent.

Talent is our ultimate driving force. We are expanding our talent pool through multiple strategies.

On nurturing young research talent, the Government has launched the Young Collaborative Research Grant to support early-stage researchers in leading and managing collaborative research. We are also actively fostering research collaboration between Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and overseas research funding agencies through operating various Joint Research Schemes. These partnerships not only foster academic exchange but also provide opportunities to nurture researchers in exploring new frontiers in their respective fields.

On attracting global talent, the RGC Junior Research Fellow Scheme has supported some 300 doctoral graduates from Hong Kong and around the world to pursue research careers at our universities.

Our international research flagship, the InnoHK research clusters, is also there to bring together brilliant minds from all over the world to conduct world-class scientific research. To date, our two existing InnoHK research clusters – one focusing on healthcare technology and another on AI and robotics – have successfully built links with over 30 world-class universities and research institutes from 12 economies, pooling together around 3 000 researchers locally and across the globe.

To go further, the Government is now expediting the development of the third InnoHK research cluster, with the focus on sustainable development, energy, advanced manufacturing and materials.

Our strategy follows a powerful cycle: promoting technology with talent, leading industries with technology, and attracting talent with industries.

And we are seeing results. Hong Kong ranks third globally in "Technology" in the World Digital Competitiveness Ranking. The Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster ranks first in the 2025 Global Innovation Index Ranking of the World's Top 100 innovation clusters.

Our startup community has grown nearly fivefold in the past decade, producing homegrown unicorns.

This progress is no accident. It is built on Hong Kong's unique strengths. Under "one country, two systems", we enjoy unwavering national support and unparalleled global connectivity. Our robust rule of law, free-flowing capital and vibrant multicultural society make Hong Kong the perfect incubator for scientific exploration and technological breakthroughs.

To every scientist, researcher and innovator here today: Hong Kong is open for you. We provide the platform, the funding, the freedom and the connections to turn visionary ideas into reality.

We invite you to build your legacy here. To join us in shaping not just the future of Hong Kong, but the future of science for humanity.

On this note, let the dialogue begin. I look forward to the fruitful and inspirational exchanges. Thank you.

Source: AI-found images