Jockey Club concludes landmark 10th anniversary of PBC with Gala Dinner featuring delegates from around the world to celebrate a decade of global dialogue

The Hong Kong Jockey Club concluded the landmark 10th anniversary and fifth edition of its PBC forum at West Kowloon Cultural District today (8 September). Convened over two days by the Club’s Charities Trust in association with the Institute of Philanthropy (IoP), PBC 2026 featured more than 80 eminent speakers and over 2,000 delegates from around the world. Under the central theme of “Leaping for Impact”, the forum brought together leaders from the philanthropic, sports, business, government, academic and social sectors.

Thematic discussions over the two days addressed pressing social issues including health, the well-being of older adults, urban poverty alleviation, heritage conservation, youth positive trajectory development, climate resilience and inclusive employment. Interactive Impact Studios, Co-Learning Workshops and other extended programmes further bridged visionary ideas with practical implementation, examining how meaningful social impact can be achieved on the ground.

To mark the forum’s conclusion and celebrate a decade of global dialogue, a PBC 2026 Gala Dinner was held at the Hong Kong Palace Museum. It brought together delegates from the Chinese Mainland and across the world including foundation leaders, government officials, tertiary institution representatives and community leaders. Among the distinguished attendees were Dr the Hon Starry Lee, Member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and President of the Legislative Council of the HKSAR; The Hon Mrs Regina Ip, Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council of the HKSAR; Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao; Club Deputy Chairman and IoP Chairman Lester Huang; Club Stewards; Club CEO and IoP Director Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges; and other members of the Club’s Board of Management.

Dr the Hon Starry Lee, Member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and President of the Legislative Council of the HKSAR (front row, 5th left); The Hon Mrs Regina Ip, Convenor of the Non-official Members, Executive Council of the HKSAR (front row, 4th right); Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao (front row, 5th right); Club Deputy Chairman and IoP Chairman Lester Huang (front row, 3rd right); Club Stewards; Club CEO and IoP Director Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (front row, 4th left); and other members of the Club’s Board of Management pose for a photo at the PBC 2026 Gala Dinner.

Dr the Hon Starry Lee, Member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and President of the Legislative Council of the HKSAR, said at the Gala Dinner that, over the past decade, the PBC forum had not only borne witness to the development of philanthropy, but had also promoted exchange and collaboration among the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and the international community. Looking ahead to the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan, she noted that philanthropic models that take a long-term perspective and place greater emphasis on capacity building and talent development would become increasingly important.

Dr the Hon Starry Lee, Member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and President of the Legislative Council of the HKSAR, delivers a speech at the PBC 2026 Gala Dinner.

The Hon Mrs Regina Ip, Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council of the HKSAR, said: “Meaningful achievement is built through clarity of purpose, discipline, resilience, honest self-assessment, and an unyielding determination to improve. Those same qualities are becoming increasingly essential in philanthropy, and The Hong Kong Jockey Club is especially well placed to lead this conversation because it sits at the unique intersection of sport, public purpose and philanthropy at scale.”

The Hon Mrs Regina Ip, Convenor of the Non-official Members, Executive Council of the HKSAR, delivers a speech at the PBC 2026 Gala Dinner.

Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao expressed his profound gratitude to all speakers, panellists, moderators and participants of PBC 2026 for bringing their remarkable range of experience and perspectives to the forum. He praised the progress that PBC has made over the past decade in addressing prevailing social challenges and inspiring cross-sector and cross-regional partnerships, to its position today as one of the largest assemblies of the global philanthropic community worldwide.

Speaking at the Gala Dinner, Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao expressed his profound gratitude to all speakers, panellists, moderators and participants for bringing a remarkable range of experience and perspectives to PBC 2026.

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the Club’s CEO and IoP Director, delivered the forum’s closing remarks, echoing insights from forum speakers and reflecting on the sector’s evolving journey. “If there is one lesson that has emerged consistently over the past two days, it is that meaningful impact does not happen by accident. It requires vision, discipline and commitment. But above all, it requires collaboration.” He added: “No organisation, foundation, government or business can address today’s challenges alone. Partnerships are key, but equally important is finding the right partners: those who bring complementary strengths, share our purpose are committed to achieving meaningful outcomes together.”

Club Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Institute of Philanthropy, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, delivers closing remarks at PBC 2026.

Earlier today, the opening keynote address was delivered by Hari Menon, President of Global Growth & Opportunity at the Gates Foundation. Entitled “The New Growth Agenda: Philanthropy’s Role in Expanding Opportunity for All”, it examined the catalytic role of philanthropy in enabling more people to contribute to and benefit from economic growth.

Hari Menon, President of Global Growth & Opportunity at the Gates Foundation, delivers the forum’s opening keynote address on day two in a session entitled “The New Growth Agenda: Philanthropy’s Role in Expanding Opportunity for All”.

As part of the Club’s ongoing efforts to promote education and development equity, and following the adoption and adaptation of the CoolThink@JC curriculum in Cambodian primary schools earlier this year, an MOU on early childhood education and development was signed today. Witnessed by Club Steward Jackson Woo, the MOU was signed by Dr Gabriel Leung, Club Executive Director, Charities and Community, and H.E. Dr Kim Sethany, Permanent Secretary of State of Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, reaffirming the shared commitment to strengthening development foundations and better life trajectories for children.

The Impact Studio session, “Bridging the Gap: Advancing Educational Equity Through Computational Thinking”, explored strategies to achieve sustainable and impactful digital education. Speakers included Kim Sethany, Permanent Secretary of State, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Cambodia (2nd right); Huang Ronghuai, Co-Dean of the Smart Learning Institute at Beijing Normal University and Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on Artificial Intelligence in Education (2nd left); and Stephen Cheung, President of Saint Francis University and Voting Member of The Hong Kong Jockey Club (1st left). The panel was moderated by Kerry Lee, President and Chair Professor of Child Development at Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education (1st right).

The forum’s closing plenary featured an intergenerational dialogue between a sports leader- turned-philanthropist and aspiring young athletes who want to drive change. Moderated by Yao Ming, Founder and Chairman of the Yao Foundation, the session examined how athletes can broaden their impact and how personal growth can translate into leadership and community building. The speakers were Yvette Kong, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Arelyx and Olympic swimmer; Jacqueline Lai, Hong Kong, China equestrian team rider and Asian Games medallist; and Cado Lee, two-time Asian Games gold medallist and a Hong Kong, China Rugby Sevens player.

Witnessed by Club Steward Jackson Woo (left), an MOU on early childhood education and development was signed today by Dr Gabriel Leung, Club Executive Director, Charities and Community (right), and H.E. Dr Kim Sethany, Permanent Secretary of State of Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (centre), reaffirming the shared commitment to strengthening development foundations and better life trajectories for children.

In line with this year’s theme, The Bridgespan Group unveiled a new report examining what distinguishes family giving in Asia and how the world’s wealthiest families approach philanthropy. Supported by IoP, The Rockefeller Foundation and the Gates Foundation, the research explores the relationship between family, business and philanthropy across the region. Separately, Bridgespan’s latest corporate giving research found that The Hong Kong Jockey Club and its Charities Trust remain the leading corporate donor in Asia andthe eighth largest globally, with an annual average of approved donations of US$774 million from 2020 to 2024.

The Impact Studio session, “Evolving Philanthropy Landscape in China: Corporate, Family, and Cross Border Giving in Practice”, explored how cross-border platforms intersect with the charity policy environment in the Greater Bay Area to enable collaboration at greater scale. Speakers included Wang Zhenyao, Founding Dean of the China Philanthropy Research Institute at Beijing Normal University (2nd right); Wang Ming, Professor, School of Public Policy and Management and Founding Dean of the Institute for Philanthropy at Tsinghua University (2nd left); and Jin Jinping, Associate Professor at Peking University Law School (1st left). The panel was moderated by Wang Xiangwei, former editor-in-chief, South China Morning Post, and senior visiting scholar at Harvard Kennedy School (1st right).

Initiated in 2016, PBC has served as a flagship platform for global philanthropic thought leadership and cross-sector collaboration, engaging some 10,000 participants and more than 380 speakers from over 40 countries and regions throughout the past decade.

The forum’s closing plenary featured an intergenerational dialogue between a sport leader- turned-philanthropist and aspiring young athletes who want to drive change. The speakers were Yvette Kong, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Arelyx and Olympic swimmer (1st left); Jacqueline Lai, Hong Kong, China equestrian team rider and Asian Games medallist (2nd left); and Cado Lee, two-time Asian Games gold medallist and a Hong Kong, China Rugby Sevens player (2nd right). The panel was moderated by Yao Ming, Founder and Chairman of the Yao Foundation (1st right).

The Club’s support for PBC 2026, like all of its charity and community initiatives, is made possible by its unique value creation model through which racing and wagering generate tax contributions, charity support and employment opportunities for the community.

The opening day of PBC 2026 took place at West Kowloon Cultural District today (7 September). Convened by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust in association with the Institute of Philanthropy (IoP), the two-day forum brings together some 2,000 delegates and leaders from the worlds of philanthropy, sport, business, government, academia and the social sector to explore the transformation, challenges and opportunities shaping philanthropy today.

Marking the event’s 10th anniversary and as one of the highlights of the Club’s Year of the Horse campaign, PBC 2026 has adopted the theme “Leaping for Impact”. Inspired by the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect, and the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality, the forum explores what philanthropy can learn from sport in areas such as discipline, focus, resilience and teamwork. It aims to examine how these qualities can be transformed into a powerful force for philanthropy, generating deeper and more enduring social impact. The Trust has long sought to transform lives and strengthen communities through the power of sport. This aligns with the National 15th Five-Year Plan’s emphasis on talent cultivation, youth development and the advancement of a strong and healthy sporting nation.

Officiating at the forum’s opening ceremony was HKSAR Government Chief Secretary for Administration The Hon Chan Kwok-ki; the Club’s Chairman The Hon Martin Liao; and Club CEO and IoP Director Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges.

The Commission on Asian Philanthropy launched its Interim Report during the forum. The Club CEO and IoP Director, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (centre), together with Commissioners from The Commission on Asian Philanthropy, pose for a group photo.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, HKSAR Government Chief Secretary for Administration The Hon Chan Kwok-ki said, “The Hong Kong SAR Government is fully committed to raising our city as a global centre for philanthropy. Under the ‘one country, two systems’ principle, and as a bridge between East and West, we are uniquely positioned to deploy global capital for the greater good.” He added, “With our enabling tax regime, dedicated family office strategy, and our unwavering commitment to doing good, we can make a difference for you and your philanthropic legacy. This year’s Forum is the perfect place to start.”

HKSAR Government Chief Secretary for Administration The Hon Chan Kwok-ki delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of PBC 2026.

Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao said, “Including this year, PBC will have engaged more than 10,000 participants over the past decade and featured more than 380 speakers from over 40 countries and regions – making it one of the world’s largest philanthropic assemblies. PBC 2026 examines the need for systems change, new approaches to capital and the capabilities required to deliver impact. It explores how cross-sector collaboration and multi-stakeholder partnerships can drive sustainable and lasting outcomes. Together, these contributions reflect PBC’s continuing role as a platform for sharing ideas, advancing understanding and connecting leaders around the practical solutions needed to address the challenges of our time.”

Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of PBC 2026.

He mentioned that the Club and its Charities Trust today officially released the first edition of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Impact Report, detailing the many ways in which the Club has improved lives and strengthened communities since its earliest recorded donation in 1915. The Club has developed a new three-tierhierarchical measurement framework, evaluating impact at project, programme and Trust levels.

Honorary President for Life of the International Olympic Committee Dr Thomas Bach delivers a video address at the opening ceremony of PBC 2026.

The report highlights three key insights. First, resources should be more precisely targeted towards the most marginalised and underserved populations to maximise the impact of philanthropy. Second, initiatives should be designed with long-term sustainability in mind, delivering intensive and sustained interventions that empower beneficiaries to achieve lasting positive behavioural change. Third, impact measurement must incorporate flexible, prolonged follow-up periods tailored to the life cycle of each programme, enabling a more comprehensive assessment of long-term outcomes. The report sets out the Trust’s approach to impact measurement and illustrates the social impact generated by the many initiatives it has created or supported.

Leading foundations participating in PBC 2026 include the Gates Foundation, The D.H. Chen Foundation, the Lee Hysan Foundation, the Yao Foundation, the Sanofi Foundation, the Tencent Charity Foundation, The Majurity Trust, the Lien Foundation and the Essl Foundation.

The day’s opening keynote was delivered by Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former United Nations Development Programme Administrator, who shared her insights on “A New Era for Philanthropy: Leading Through Complexity.” Moderated by Club Steward The Hon Bernard Chan, the keynote explored the leadership qualities needed for philanthropy in today’s world.

Moderated by Club Steward The Hon Bernard Chan (right), former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former United Nations Development Programme Administrator Helen Clark (left) delivers the opening keynote entitled “A New Era for Philanthropy: Leading Through Complexity”.

One of the forum’s highlight sessions was “Two Playbooks, One Goal: Navigating Social Mobility in Asia’s Twin Cities”, which brought together The Hon Chris Sun, Secretary for Labour and Welfare of the HKSAR Government, and Tan See Leng, Minister for Trade and Industry (Energy & Industry) & Former Minister for Manpower, Singapore. The conversation was moderated by The Hon Mrs Regina Ip, Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council of the HKSAR Government. The discussion focused on how Hong Kong and Singapore as international cities can convert the benefits of economic growth into opportunities for social mobility, creating more pathways for the next generation.

The fourth plenary, entitled “Two Playbooks, One Goal: Navigating Social Mobility in Asia’s Twin Cities”, was moderated by The Hon Mrs Regina Ip, Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council of the HKSAR Government (centre). It featured The Hon Chris Sun, Secretary for Labour and Welfare of the HKSAR Government (left), and Tan See Leng, Minister for Trade and Industry (Energy & Industry) and Former Minister for Manpower, Singapore (right).

Another highlight session, “Expanding the Arena: Philanthropy, Leadership, and Pathways Beyond Sport,” brought together Olympic gold medallists and leading sports figures from the Chinese Mainland – Li Xiaopeng, Deng Yaping, Yang Yang – and 2026 international football tournament referee Ma Ning. The speakers shared how sporting excellence can evolve to shape institutions, nurture emerging talent and widen access to opportunities.

The fifth plenary, entitled “Expanding the Arena: Philanthropy, Leadership, and Pathways Beyond Sport”, featured a discussion between Olympic gold medallists Li Xiaopeng (2nd left), Deng Yaping (1st left) and Yang Yang (2nd right), together with 2026 international football tournament referee Ma Ning (centre).

The Commission on Asian Philanthropy, co-convened by IoP and the Asian Philanthropy Congress (“APHIC”), today launched its Interim Report, presenting the first comprehensive research on the scale and scope of philanthropic ecosystems across participating Asian jurisdictions. The report estimates that domestic philanthropic giving across participating jurisdictions reached US$109 billion in 2024 and could exceed US$1 trillion over the next decade. It highlights how philanthropy in Asia is shaped by everyday giving, business contributions and public investment, and how philanthropic ecosystems can serve as a strategic asset for national development.

The Club’s support for PBC 2026, like all of its charity and community initiatives, is made possible by its unique value creation model through which racing and wagering generate tax contributions, charity support and employment opportunities for the community.

HKSAR Government Chief Secretary for Administration The Hon Chan Kwok-ki (front row centre); Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao (front row, 5th left); Club Deputy Chairman and IoP Chairman Lester Huang (front row, 4th left); Club Stewards; Club CEO and IoP Director Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (front row, 5th right); and Club management pose for a group photo at the opening ceremony of PBC 2026.