Government Announces Key Senior Appointments Ahead of Upcoming Retirements

Government announces senior appointments

The Government announced today (June 15) the following senior appointments:

(a) Ms Maisie Chan Kit-ling, ex-Commissioner for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, will take up the post of Director-General of Communications on July 2, 2026, to succeed Mr Chaucer Leung Chung-yin on retirement;

(b) Mr Albert Yuen Yuk-kin will take up the appointment as Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene on June 16, 2026, vice Mr Donald Ng Man-kit, following an open-cum-in-service recruitment exercise;

(c) Ms Ann Chan Wai-yan, Deputy Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (Treasury), will take up the post of Commissioner for Tourism on June 25, 2026; and

(d) Mr Arsene Yiu Kai-cheuk, Deputy Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (Environmental Hygiene), will take up the post of Director, Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Beijing (Beijing Office) on June 29, 2026, to succeed Mr Rex Chang Wai-yuen on retirement.

Regarding the appointments of Ms Maisie Chan, Ms Ann Chan and Mr Arsene Yiu, 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 posts."

Commenting on the appointment of Mr Yuen, Mrs Yeung said, "Mr Yuen has extensive experience in public administration and law enforcement, and possesses outstanding leadership and management capabilities. I am confident that under his leadership, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will continue with its reforms to provide public services, perform regulatory functions and meet future challenges with innovation and excellence."

Turning to 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.

On the retirement of Mr Chang, Mrs Yeung said, "During his tenure as Director, Beijing Office, Mr Chang oversaw the smooth operation of the Beijing Office as well as the two liaison units in Liaoning and Tianjin. He led major efforts to promote Hong Kong's unique strengths under 'one country, two systems' and co-operation with major provinces and municipalities, thereby contributing to our integration into the national development strategy."

Turning to Mr Leung, Mrs Yeung said, "During his tenure as Director-General of Communications, he provided strong leadership in ensuring the robust regulation and development of telecommunications and broadcasting industries in Hong Kong. He spearheaded a whole host of policy initiatives to promote the development of advanced communications technologies and infrastructure, ensuring that world-class communications services were in place to meet the challenges of the information age and underpin Hong Kong's status as a leading telecommunications and broadcasting hub in the region and beyond."

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

Mr Rex Chang Wai-yuen

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Mr Chang joined the Administrative Service in July 1989 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade A in April 2021. He has served in various bureaux and departments, including the former City and New Territories Administration, the former Security Branch, the former Finance Branch, the former Information Technology and Broadcasting Bureau, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Singapore, the Trade and Industry Department, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong, the Development Bureau, the Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Cultural Office, and the Education Bureau. He was Director of Information Services from August 2019 to December 2021, Commissioner for Belt and Road from December 2021 to November 2022, and served as Director, Beijing Office from December 2022 to March 2026.

Mr Chaucer Leung Chung-yin

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Mr Leung joined the Government as Telecommunications Engineer in April 1997. He was promoted to Chief Telecommunications Engineer in July 2009, to Assistant Director of Telecommunications in November 2012, and to Deputy Director-General of Telecommunications in May 2016. He served as the Director-General of Communications cum Director of Film, Newspaper and Article Administration from July 2019 to April 2026.

Ms Maisie Chan Kit-ling

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Ms Chan joined the Administrative Service in July 1994 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade A in April 2025. She has served in various bureaux and departments, including the former Constitutional Affairs Branch, the Home Affairs Department, the former Trade Department, the former Finance Bureau (later renamed as Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau), the former Education and Manpower Bureau, the Security Bureau, the Development Bureau, the Civil Service Bureau and the Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link Independent Expert Panel. She was Deputy Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (Environmental Hygiene) from January 2015 to July 2018, Deputy Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs from July 2018 to July 2023, and Commissioner for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area from July 2023 to January 2026.

Mr Albert Yuen Yuk-kin

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Mr Yuen joined the Government in 1986 and had served in various positions in the Police Force. He served as Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) between August 2021 and August 2023, and was appointed as Advisor in the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department for one year in November 2023. In February 2026, the Environment and Ecology Bureau conducted an open-cum-in-service recruitment exercise for the post of Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene. Following the established selection process, Mr Yuen has been identified as the most suitable candidate. The Government appointed Mr Yuen as the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene under civil service appointment terms, with effect from June 16.

Ms Ann Chan Wai-yan

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Ms Chan joined the Administrative Service in June 1997 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade B1 in April 2025. She has served in various bureaux and departments, including the Financial Secretary's Office, the Housing Bureau, the Civil Service Bureau, the former Constitutional Affairs Bureau, the former Education and Manpower Bureau, the Chief Secretary for Administration's Office, the former Home Affairs Bureau, the Labour and Welfare Bureau, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and the former Transport and Housing Bureau. She was Coordinator (Policy Address) of the former Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office from July to November 2020, Deputy Secretary for the Civil Service from December 2020 to July 2024, and has been serving as Deputy Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (Treasury) since August 2024.

Mr Arsene Yiu Kai-cheuk

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Mr Yiu joined the Administrative Service in September 2001 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade B in April 2024. He has served in various bureaux and departments, including the Housing Bureau, the Security Bureau, the former Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Geneva, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Development Bureau, the Office of the Chief Executive-elect and the Chief Executive's Office. He was Principal Assistant Secretary for Food and Health (Food) from February to April 2022, Assistant Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (Market Special Duties) from April to August 2022, and has been serving as Deputy Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (Environmental Hygiene) since August 2022.

Mr Arsene Yiu Kai-cheuk, Deputy Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (Environmental Hygiene), will take up the post of Director, Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Beijing on June 29, 2026. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Ms Ann Chan Wai-yan, Deputy Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (Treasury), will take up the post of Commissioner for Tourism on June 25, 2026. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Mr Albert Yuen Yuk-kin will take up the appointment as Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene on June 16, 2026. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Ms Maisie Chan Kit-ling, ex-Commissioner for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, will take up the post of Director-General of Communications on July 2, 2026. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Mr Chaucer Leung Chung-yin served as Director-General of Communications before his retirement. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Mr Rex Chang Wai-yuen served as Director, Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Beijing before his retirement. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Online auction of vehicle registration marks to be held from September 3 to 7

The Transport Department (TD) today (August 19) said that the next online auction of vehicle registration marks (VRMs) will be held from noon on September 3 (Thursday) to noon on September 7 (Monday) through the auction platform E-Auction (e-auction.td.gov.hk). Interested bidders can participate in the online auction only after they have successfully registered as E-Auction users.

A spokesman for the TD said, "A total of 220 Ordinary VRMs will be available at this online public auction. The list of VRMs (see Annex) has been uploaded to the E-Auction website. Applicants who have paid a $1,000 deposit to reserve an Ordinary VRM for auction should also register as an E-Auction user in advance in order to participate in the online bidding, including placing the first bid at the opening price of $1,000. Otherwise, the VRMs reserved by them may be bid on by other interested bidders at or above the opening price. Auctions for VRMs with 'HK' or 'XX' as a prefix, special VRMs and personalised VRMs will continue to be carried out through physical auctions by bidding paddles and their announcement arrangements remain unchanged."

Members of the public participating in the online bidding should take note of the following important points:

(1) Bidders should register in advance as an E-Auction user by "iAM Smart+" equipped with the digital signing function; or by using a valid digital certificate and an email address upon completion of identity verification. Registered "iAM Smart" users should provide their Hong Kong identity card number, while non-Hong Kong residents who are not "iAM Smart" users should provide the number of their passport or other identification documents when registering as E-Auction users.

(2) Bidders are required to provide a digital signature to confirm the submission and amount of the bid by using "iAM Smart+" or a valid digital certificate at the time of the first bid of each online bidding session (including setting automatic bids before the auction begins) to comply with the requirements of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance.

(3) If a bid is made in respect of a VRM within the last 10 minutes before the end of the auction, the auction end time for that particular VRM will be automatically extended by another 10 minutes, up to a maximum of 24 hours.

(4) Successful bidders must follow the instructions in the notification email issued by the TD to log in to the E-Auction within 48 hours from the issuance of the email and complete the follow-up procedures, including:

• completing the Purchaser Information for the issuance of the Memorandum of Sale of Registration Mark (Memorandum of Sale); and
• making the auction payment online by credit card, Faster Payment System (FPS) or Payment by Phone Service (PPS). Cheque or cash payment is not accepted in the E-Auction.

(5) A VRM can only be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. Relevant information on the Certificate of Incorporation must be provided by the successful bidder in the Purchaser Information of the Memorandum of Sale if the VRM purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.

(6) Successful bidders will receive a notification email around seven working days after payment has been confirmed and can download the Memorandum of Sale from the E-Auction. The purchaser must apply for the VRM to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser within 12 months from the date of issue of the Memorandum of Sale. If the purchaser fails to do so within the 12-month period, in accordance with the statutory provision, the allocation of the VRM will be cancelled and a new allocation will be arranged by the TD without prior notice to the purchaser.

The TD has informed all applicants who have reserved Ordinary VRMs for this round of auction of the E-Auction arrangements in detail by post. Members of the public may refer to the E-Auction website or watch the tutorial videos for more information. Please call the E-Auction hotline (3583 3980) or email (e-auction-enquiry@td.gov.hk) for enquiries.

Source: AI-found images