The Fifth Anniversary of Paris Agreement Conference
2:30 - 5:15 PM

To celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and to echo the United Nations high-level meeting occurring on 12th December 2020, the Consulate General of France is organizing a joint high-level conference in partnership with Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).

Our shared goal is to put climate and environment at the center of the political agenda locally, by gathering political, institutional, business and NGO stakeholders. As a global player, France has taken a leading role in fighting climate change since 2015. In parallel, as a global academic hub, HKUST has stepped up its policy to support sustainable development in Hong Kong and beyond, through the establishment of the Institute for the Environment and implementation of ambitious initiatives on its campus.

HKUST and France enjoy a strong cooperation relationship, which has blossomed further over the years with the creation in 2018 of the "France-HKUST Innovation Hub" to promote scientific communication and cooperation. This conference will be labeled as the inaugural 'Innovation Hub Rendez-Vous’, a new quarterly-meeting format involving Hong Kong and French figures from science and technology.

Two main topics included: (Roundtable 1) Are we ready for a Living Building Challenge for a Clean and Sustainable Future?, and (Roundtable 2) Green Finance: How Can it Help Fight Climate Change?

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Program

2:30 - 3:00 PM | Welcome Speech: Celebration of the 5th Anniversary of the Paris Agreement

MC: Prof. King Lun Yeung, Director of the France-HKUST Innovation Hub, Associate Director of Environmental Central Facility and Environmental Engineering Program, HKUST 

  1. Video | Prof. Wei Shyy, President of HKUST
  2. Video | Mr. Alexandre Giorgini, Consul General, Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau
  3. Video | Mr. Thomas Gnocchi, Head of the European Union Office to Hong Kong and Macao
  4. Video | The Honourable Wong Kam-sing, GBS, JP, Secretary for the Environment, HKSAR Government

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3:00 - 4:15 PM |  Roundtable 1 - Are we ready for a Living Building Challenge for a Clean and Sustainable Future?

Sustainable buildings and energy efficiency are one of the most important environmental issues, especially in a globalized city like Hong Kong. This roundtable will gather industries and researchers on this topic, with a study case of HKUST sustainable campus.

Moderator: Prof. King Lun Yeung, Director of the France-HKUST Innovation Hub, Associate Director of Environmental Central Facility and Environmental Engineering Program, HKUST 

  1. Video | The Honourable Wong Kam-sing, GBS, JP, Secretary for the Environment, HKSAR Government
  2. Video | Mr. Pierre-Eric Saint-André, CEO of Bouygues and President, French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Hong Kong
  3. Video | Mr. Kelvin Li, Business Development Director, Schneider Electric
  4. Video | Prof. Hong K. Lo, Director of GREAT Smart Cities Institute, HKUST
  5. Video | Prof. Alexis K.H. Lau, Associate Director, Institute for the Environment, HKUST
  6. Video | Panel discussion

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4:15 - 5:15 PM | Roundtable 2 – Green Finance: How Can it Help Fight Climate Change? Video record of Roundtable 2

Since 2007, when the first green bonds were issued to support the development of climate change solutions, the market has substantially grown. Nearly 200 countries agreed to mobilize green finance in 2015 under the terms of the Paris Agreement.  What assessment can be made today? What are the latest trends of the green finance market?

Moderator: Mrs. Karine Hirn, Vice-President of French Foreign Trade Advisors in Hong Kong, co-founder of East Capital

  1. Mrs. Tracy Wong Harris, Deputy Secretary General, Hong Kong Green Finance Association
  2. Dr. Michel Roy, Senior Regional Officer Asia-Pacific, Crédit Agricole CIB
  3. Mr. Hugo Leung, CEO Hong Kong Branch, BNP Paribas
  4. Mr. Johannes Hack, CEO Hong Kong Branch DZ BANK AG
  5. Prof. Alicia Garcia Herrero, Adjunct Professor for the Institute of Emerging Market Studies, HKUST; Chief Economist APAC at NATIXIS

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Speakers

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(Roundtable 1 speakers)

Prof. King Lun Yeung is a Professor of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Division of Environment and Sustainability at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He obtained his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame. He is the Director of the HKUST-CIL Joint Laboratory of Innovative Environmental Health Technologies, the HKUST ENVF-INA/LMA Joint Laboratory of Environment, and the France-HKUST Innovation Hub. He was the Associate Dean of the School of Engineering and Director of the Technology Leadership and Entrepreneurship Program (2014-2018) He is a recipient of the 2020 Chief Executive’s Commendation for Community Service for the Outstanding Contribution to the Fight Against COVID-19. The 2018 Gold Medal in the 46th International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva and the 2015 Google Solve for X Moonshot. (Website)
Mr. KS Wong has been appointed as the Secretary for the Environment of the HKSAR Government and assumed the post on 1 July 2012. Mr. Wong is an architect by profession. He has been promoting sustainable built environment since 1990s, including serving as the Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Green Building Council and the Chairman of the Professional Green Building Council. Before joining the Government, he has contributed to the work of a number of Government advisory bodies. He was the convener of the Support Group on Combating Climate Change: Energy Saving and Carbon Emission Reduction in Buildings. He was also a member of the Support Group on Building Design to Foster a Quality and Sustainable Built Environment. (Website)
Mr. Pierre-Eric Saint-André is equipped with all-rounded experience in finance, design, build and operate Infrastructure and Building businesses. He has been working in a wide array of industries, spanning from construction and smart city to renewable energy and telecom infrastructure. Since 2017, Mr. Saint-André is Chairman of Dragages Hong Kong and CEO Asia Pacific for Bouygues Batiment International. In 2018, Mr. Saint-André notably led the acquisition of AW Edwards in Sydney (New South Wales) to expand Bouygues operations in Australia. Before joining the Bouygues group, Mr. Saint-André has co-founded 2 start-ups, one mobile internet apps company and then one telco carrier providing high-speed telecom infrastructures and asset management services for large infrastructure funds. He sold this company to Bouygues Construction in 2006. In September 2020, Mr. Saint-André has been elected President of The French Chamber in Hong Kong. (LinkedIn)
Mr. Kelvin Li is an executive leader who holds nearly 20 years of experience in power utility, energy consultancies, and energy corporations. Currently serving as Director, Strategy and Business Development, at Schneider Electric, Kelvin formulates corporate strategies to drive business growth by leveraging innovative technologies in the energy industry. Kelvin started his career as a Graduate Trainee at CLP, and worked across the entire power value chain. After CLP, Kelvin also gained extensive experience in strategy consulting by serving in several reputable consulting firms. He delivered over 30 advisory projects for top-notch organizations across the globe. Kelvin holds three master’s degrees – MPA from Harvard University, MBA from London Business School, and MSc from The University of Hong Kong. Currently, he is pursuing his fourth master’s degree, LLM Energy, at the University of Dundee. He also got the designation as an Energy Risk Professional (ERP) in 2019.
Prof. Hong LO is Department Head and Chair Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at HKUST. His expertise includes dynamic transportation system modeling, traffic control, network reliability, and public transportation analysis. He has published extensively in the transportation literature and 180 refereed journal papers. He was selected as one of the Most Cited Researchers in Civil Engineering by Elsevier in 2016. Prof. Lo is very active and has been receiving numerous awards in the transportation community. Prof Lo is a Fellow of The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE), Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Highway and Transportation (IHT), and Fellow of the Hong Kong Society for Transportation Studies. (Website)
Prof. Alexis Lau is a Professor of the Division of Environment and Sustainability, and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and also the Director of the Atmospheric Research Center at HKUST. His research specializes in Air Quality, Health Exposure, Weather and Climate, and his techniques include analysis of large-scale geophysical datasets, numerical models, and in-situ and satellite remote sensing. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed journal articles and served on a number of green groups as well as many government committees in Hong Kong. Internationally, he is a member of the Scientific Advisory Group of the World Health Organization Panel on the development of a Global Platform on Air Quality and Health. (Website)

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(Roundtable 2 speakers)

Ms. Karine Hirn is a partner and co-founder of East Capital Group. Born in France and currently based in Hong Kong, Karine is CEO of East Capital Asia Ltd, Chief Sustainability Officer for the East Capital Group as well as member of East Capital Public Equity Investment Committee. She is also the Chairperson of the Luxembourg-domiciled management company and fund structures. Previously, Karine was China Chief Representative in Shanghai and CEO of East Capital in Sweden. Karine is a French Trade Advisor, Vice Chair of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Board of the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. Prior to East Capital, she worked in the banking industry and as a financial consultant in Nizhny-Novgorod and Moscow. She holds a Master Degree in Business Management from EM Lyon, a Post Graduate Degree in Eastern European Studies from Sciences Po Paris and studied in Moscow Academy of Finance and Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki. (Website)
Mrs. Tracy Wong Harris is the Deputy Secretary General of Hong Kong Green Finance Association (HKGFA), passionate in driving green and sustainable finance in Hong Kong and beyond. Appointed member of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) Climate Change Technical Expert Group (TEG). Prior to joining HKGFA, Tracy had over 16 years of financial markets experiences across various fixed income and complex structured products in JPMorgan, Mizuho International, Barclays Capital and BNP Paribas based in London and Hong Kong. Tracy received her MSc and BA in International Finance and Capital Markets in the United Kingdom, graduated from the Oxford Said Business School in Social Finance and a certified member of Hong Kong Treasury Markets Association (HKTMA). Tracy is a board member of AIDS Concern, previously served as Board member of the Hong Kong LGBT+ Interbank, founder of the JPM PRIDE HK network and received JPMorgan Employee Appreciation Award in 2015. (Website)
Dr. Michel Roy was appointed Senior Regional Officer for Crédit Agricole CIB Asia-Pacific on March 1st 2016. He was Senior Country Officer for Crédit Agricole CIB Japan since September 2011. Michel began his career at Crédit du Nord in the International division in 1983. He became Chief Representative for Indonesia in Jakarta in 1987 and Head of Corporate Banking department in Singapore in 1991. In 1992, he joined Credit Lyonnais in Taiwan as Head of Corporate Banking and became Head of Multinational Group based in Hong Kong in 1997. He was thereafter appointed Senior Country Officer for Credit Agricole CIB in Taiwan (2000–2005), Korea (2005-2008) and India (2008-2011). Michel Roy holds a Ph.D in Oriental Studies from University of Paris III, a Master Degree in Chinese Language from University of Paris III and a BA in Economics from University of Paris II. (Website)
Mr. Hugo Leung is the Chief Executive Officer for Hong Kong, BNP Paribas and CEO of BNP Paribas Securities (Asia) Limited. He oversees the full breadth of the bank’s integrated and diversified offering in Hong Kong, encompassing all corporate and institutional banking activities. Prior to his current role, he oversaw Global Markets activities in Hong Kong including fixed income, equities and commodity derivatives business. Hugo has a B.A. degree in Economics from Simon Fraser University in Canada and speaks English, Cantonese and Mandarin. In April 2017, Hugo was appointed as an independent Non- Executive Director for Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx), where he serves on the Audit Committee, Risk Committee, Executive Committee, Panel Member Nomination Committee, Investment Advisory Committee, and he is also the Deputy Chairman of Derivatives Market Consultative Panel. (LinkedIn)
Mr. Johannes Hack is the Chief Executive of DZ BANK's Hong Kong Branch and oversees the Bank's activities in China, Korea and Taiwan amongst others. Johannes is on the Board of the German Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong where he serves as Treasurer. Prior to moving to Hong Kong in June 2018, Johannes spent 10 years in Frankfurt and London heading DZ BANK's global Loan Syndication and the bank's European Renewable Financing business. He began his banking career at Dresdner Bank where he worked in Berlin, Frankfurt and Moscow. Upon returning to Germany he spent 8 years with IKB Bank in Frankfurt and Duesseldorf as a Project Leader for Leverage Finance Transactions and latterly as a Loan Syndication Team Head. He holds a diploma in Economics from Technische Universitaet Berlin. (LinkedIn)
Prof. Alicia García Herrero is the Chief Economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis, Senior Fellow at European think-tank BRUEGEL, Research Fellow at Real Instituto Elcano, and is currently Adjunct Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Alicia is an advisor to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s research arm (HKIMR) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as well as a member of the board of the Hong Kong Forum. Alicia holds a PhD in Economics from George Washington University and has published extensively in refereed journals and books (see her publications in ResearchGate or Google Scholar.  Alicia is also very active in international media (Bloomberg and CNBC among others) as well as social media (Twitter, LinkedIn and Weibo). As recognition of her leadership thoughts, Alicia has recently been nominated TOP Voices in Economy and Finance by LinkedIn. (website)

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Date
Time
2:30 - 5:15 PM
Language
English
More Information

2020.12.21 - Media report: SCMP - Green hydrogen – how Hong Kong can be a leader in the fight against climate change

2020.12.21 - HKUST (LInkedin) - Read post 

2020.12.16 - Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau (website): News - Fifth Anniversary of Paris Agreement Conference on 12 December 2020

2020.12.16 - Hong Kong Green Finance Association (website): News - The Fifth Anniversary of Paris Agreement Conference

2020.12.13 - Facebook post of Wong Kam Sing (personal page) (20:21) - 【 氣候行動! 巴黎協定 5年! 】

2020.12.12 - Facebook post of Wong Kam Sing (personal page) (20:08) - 【《巴黎協定》5周年 : 香港力爭碳中和】

2020.12.12 - Facebook post of 黃錦星 Wong Kam Sing (government page) (19:46) - 【《巴黎協定》5周年 : 香港力爭碳中和】

Organizer(s)
Consulate General of France, France-HKUST Innovation Hub
Supporting Organization(s)
Institute for the Environment / Division of Environment and Sustainability
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