New Government Appointments: Chan Chak-ming as Legal Aid Director, Irina Fan as Government Economist Starting 2026

Government announces senior appointments

The Government announced today (December 19) the following senior appointments after the open-cum-in-service recruitment exercises:

(a) Mr Chan Chak-ming will take up the appointment as the Director of Legal Aid on January 1, 2026, to succeed Mr Chris Chong Yan-tung who will proceed on pre-retirement leave on the same day; and

(b) Ms Irina Fan Yuen-yee will take up the appointment as the Government Economist on January 5, 2026, to succeed Mr Adolph Leung Wing-sing who had retired earlier.

Commenting on the appointments of Mr Chan and Ms Fan, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said, "Mr Chan is a distinguished lawyer who has extensive experience in the legal sector. He has a deep understanding of the legal profession and rich public service experience both locally and internationally. With his professional competence, leadership capabilities and strategic vision, I am confident that he will lead the Legal Aid Department in delivering quality legal aid services.

"Ms Fan has profound experience in economic analysis and proven leadership and management skills. I am confident that she will be able to lead the Office of the Government Economist to continue providing professional analyses and advice on economic matters to the Government."

On the retirement of Mr Chong, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, said, "I thank Chris for his dedicated service and contributions over the years and sincerely wish him a happy retirement."

On the retirement of Mr Leung, the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, said, "I thank Adolph for his contributions over the years and sincerely wish him a happy retirement."

Mrs Yeung thanked Mr Chong and Mr Leung for their loyal and dedicated services to the community. She wished them a fulfilling and happy retirement.

Mrs Yeung said, "Mr Chong has served with zeal and commitment in the civil service for over 33 years. As the Director of Legal Aid, Mr Chong has led the Department in rising to challenges. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to making exemplary contributions to delivering quality service to the public, including enhancing the department's case management and accounting systems to respond to ever-changing public expectations, thereby ensuring access to justice and upholding the rule of law.

"Mr Leung has served with diligence and commitment in the civil service for nearly 30 years. During his tenure as Government Economist, he led the Office of the Government Economist in providing the Government with high-quality economic analyses to support the formulation of policies and measures in different areas. His strategic insights and analytical acumen have been instrumental in shaping policies."

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

Mr Chris Chong Yan-tung

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Mr Chong joined the Government as Legal Aid Counsel in October 1992. He was promoted to Assistant Principal Legal Aid Counsel in June 2006, Deputy Principal Legal Aid Counsel in June 2011, and to Deputy Director of Legal Aid in September 2013. He has been the Director of Legal Aid since March 2022.

Mr Adolph Leung Wing-sing

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Mr Leung joined the Government as Senior Economist in September 1995 and was promoted to Principal Economist in December 2009. He was appointed as Deputy Government Economist in April 2018 before being appointed as Government Economist in April 2022.

Mr Chan Chak-ming

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Mr Chan was admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong and in England and Wales in 1997 and 2002 respectively. He was admitted as a lawyer in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in 2021. He has held various senior positions in law firms and consulting firms providing legal services. He was the elected President of the Law Society of Hong Kong from 2021 to 2024, and has been involved in different international and regional law associations. He has been an Adjunct Professor at the City University of Hong Kong and the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong.

Ms Irina Fan Yuen-yee

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Ms Fan has over 25 years of research experience with extensive exposure to Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, the Asia-Pacific region and international markets. She has held senior positions in the financial services and banking sectors. Prior to joining the Government, she was the Director of Research of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

Ms Irina Fan Yuen-yee, Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Mr Chan Chak-ming, Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Mr Adolph Leung Wing-sing, Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Mr Chris Chong Yan-tung, Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

CS concludes visit to Beijing

The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, today (April 2) led the delegation of the Working Group on Planning and Construction of the University Town (WG) under the Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis to continue their visit to Beijing.

The Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Xia Baolong, met with Mr Chan and other members of the delegation in the morning. Mr Chan thanked Mr Xia for his care and guidance for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government's work on planning and constructing the Northern Metropolis University Town (NMUT). He also reported that, in the past three days, the delegation of the WG had visited several places, including the Ningbo Higher Education Park, the Xiasha Higher Education Park in Hangzhou, the Zhejiang University International Campus (Haining), the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center, and Xiong'an New Area in Hebei. Through on-site visits to higher education developments in different places, and exchanges with experts and scholars on their successful experiences and development strategies, the delegation gained practical inspiration for the top-level design of the NMUT. This will help advance the deep integration of Hong Kong's academic excellence with industry, promoting industrial development through education. Mr Chan said that the WG will continue to push forward the development of the NMUT with enhanced quality, speed, and efficiency, in proactive alignment with the outline of the National 15th Five-Year Plan, as well as contribute Hong Kong's strengths to the national goal of building China into a leading country in education, and helping Hong Kong better integrate into and serve the overall national development.

The meeting was attended by the Executive Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Xu Qifang. The Secretary for Education of the HKSAR Government, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, also reported on her work. The Director of the Northern Metropolis Co-ordination Office, Miss Linda So, and representatives from the eight University Grants Committee-funded universities attended the meeting together.

Mr Chan and other members of the delegation concluded their visit to Beijing and returned to Hong Kong this afternoon. Dr Choi continued her visit to Beijing this afternoon, and will return to Hong Kong tomorrow (April 3).

CS concludes visit to Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

CS concludes visit to Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases