Chloe Suen
Ms Chloe Y W Suen
Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa (2022)
Ms Chloe Suen is a firm believer in the ability of arts and culture to inspire and improve lives. She is a dedicated patron and promoter of arts and culture and has an impressive array of academic achievements. Ms Suen received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Carnegie Mellon University in 2004, a Master of Arts in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University in 2009, and a Master of Liberal Arts in Museum Studies from Harvard University in 2021.
Ms Suen is Chair of the Simon Suen Foundation, which she helped to establish 10 years ago alongside her parents, Dr and Mrs Simon Suen, with the goal of promoting, preserving, and advancing Chinese arts and heritage, and nurturing the next generation of artists and scholars within the artistic and cultural landscape of Hong Kong. Inspired by her parents’ dedication to philanthropy, Ms Suen has resolutely accepted the responsibility of leading the foundation since 2015 and devotes herself wholeheartedly to the foundation’s mission.
The Simon Suen Foundation has made great strides toward its mission since its establishment by supporting a diverse set of projects related to Chinese arts and culture. Specifically, in 2015, Ms Suen put the Foundation’s philosophy into practice by founding Sun Museum, one of the very few non-profit, privately funded art museum in Hong Kong that is open to the public for free. This was an audacious project for Ms Suen, who believes that being exposed to “the power of arts and culture leads to personal enrichment”. Accordingly, Sun Museum provides its visitors with a walk-through experience that illustrates how the arts and culture of Hong Kong are connected to a wealth of Chinese traditions. Under Ms Suen’s leadership, Sun Museum has presented nearly 50 exhibitions since its inception and has earned public recognition of its mission and unique programmes. Ms Suen also recognises the importance of planting the seeds of interest in arts and culture in the young people of society and aims for Sun Museum to enable people of all ages and cultural backgrounds to explore artworks that will help enhance their understanding of Chinese culture. In 2016, the museum received the Culture and Creativity Award from the Hong Kong Association of Cultural Industries, in recognition of its outstanding performance in the cultural and creative sector.
In addition to her work leading the foundation, Ms Suen devotes much of her time and energy to public service. She serves on the Advisory Committee on Built Heritage Conservation, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee, the Museum Advisory Committee as well as its Art Sub-committee. She is also the Vice-Chairperson and Convener of the Appreciation and Education Working Group of the Sha Tin Arts and Culture Promotion Committee. Furthermore, she serves on the boards of a variety of schools and non-profit organisations.
In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the development of arts and culture in Hong Kong, in 2017, Ms Suen was awarded the Secretary for Home Affairs Commendation Scheme’s Certificate of Commendation, and in 2020, she was awarded the HKSAR Chief Executive’s Commendation for Community Service.
Ms Suen and her family are long-standing supporters of HKBU. In 2021, under Ms Suen’s leadership, the Simon Suen Foundation generously made multiple donations to support the University’s research on artificial intelligence and clinical Chinese medicine, in particular the use of intelligent wearable devices to collect important data for related research projects. Ms Suen noted that “as Chinese medicine is an essential part of Chinese culture, it is essential for the Simon Suen Foundation to support the development of high quality Chinese medicine services for the betterment of society”. The Foundation also supports the development of the Mr. Simon Suen and Mrs. Mary Suen Sino-Humanitas Institute (SHI), the Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology (JAS), and Simon Suen Foundation
Scholarship in Chinese Cultural Studies. Ms Suen hopes that these organisations will “improve the humanistic education of the younger generation by broadening their horizons and deepening their understanding of Chinese culture”. In addition to promoting Sino-Western cultural exchange in Chinese literature education, Ms Suen has also been a long-term supporter of HKBU’s “Global University Film Award” (formerly the “Global Chinese-Speaking College Student Film and Television Award”), which aims to construct a global film and television-based platform for cultural exchange.
Ms Suen is strongly committed to excellence in academia and has been a valuable supporter of HKBU’s academic efforts in her positions as a Member of the HKBU Court and Honorary Director of the HKBU Foundation. She is also the Co-Chairman of the Young Entrepreneurs Committee of the HKBU Foundation, which brings together outstanding young entrepreneurs from all walks of life to provide valuable advice to the foundation on how to enhance students’ learning experiences and cultivate their entrepreneurial spirit. As a shining example of an entrepreneur and philanthropist, Ms Suen reminds young people to be responsible for their choices; she exhorts every young person to “embrace your strengths, think about your choices, have the courage to make a decision, and do it with all your heart!”
In recognition of her steadfast support to HKBU, her substantial contributions to the preservation and promotion of Chinese arts and heritage and her dedication to support the next generations of artists and scholars, HKBU is pleased to award Ms Chloe Suen the Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa.