Ronnie C Chan
Dr Ronnie C Chan
Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa (2024)
Dr Ronnie C Chan is a highly regarded business leader and visionary philanthropist renowned for his contributions to Hong Kong, mainland China and around the world. Driven by his profound love for humanity, Dr Chan is devoted to building cross-cultural bridges between the East and the West through his exemplary leadership and wide range of philanthropic endeavours.
Born in 1949, Dr Chan received his early education in Hong Kong and furthered his studies in the U.S., where he acquired an MBA from the University of Southern California. In 1991, Dr Chan assumed chairmanship of Hang Lung Group and Hang Lung Properties, two listed real estate companies founded by his late father, Mr Chan Tseng-hsi. Dr Chan spearheaded Hang Lung’s expansion into mainland China in the early 1990s, developing, owning, and managing world-class commercial complexes in key cities like Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Wuxi, Jinan, Dalian, Kunming, Wuhan, and Hangzhou. Dr Chan’s ethical approach to real estate development and dedication to excellence have established Hang Lung as an industry leader, exemplifying the highest standards of corporate governance, social responsibility, and sustainable development.
Beyond his corporate endeavours, Dr Chan sits on the governing boards of institutions that shape policy discussions and facilitate international and cross-cultural dialogues. In Hong Kong, he is chairman of the executive committee of The Better Hong Kong Foundation, and convener of the Hong Kong Development Forum. He is also the former chairman of the executive committee of the One Country Two Systems Research Institute. Internationally, Dr Chan is Chair Emeritus of the Asia Society and Chairman of its Hong Kong Center, and a founding Trustee of the African-Asian Society. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Committee on United States-China Relations, and the Committee of 100. Through these renowned organisations, he promotes engagement in critical geopolitical and geo-economic issues affecting both East and West.
Equally remarkable is Dr Chan’s deep commitment to enriching lives through healthcare, technology, education, and cultural preservation. In 1986, Dr Chan, together with his brother Dr Gerald L Chan, co-founded the Morningside Group, a diversified investment group engaged in private equity and venture capital investments in North America, Asia, and Europe. The group develops and contributes significantly to the transfer of technological and medical knowledge, and in the realms of venture capital investment. In mainland China, Morningside Group’s long-term investments in areas like machinery manufacturing, life sciences, and media communications, have catalysed technological advancements and economic growth in the region.
As a firm believer in cultivating future leaders who honour tradition, draw insight from the past, and have a global perspective, Dr Chan has fostered impactful initiatives such as the Zhejiang University Morningside Cultural China Scholars Program that nurtures top mainland Chinese students to become future leaders, Morningside Music Bridge, an annual master’s classes programme for promising young classical musicians, and Hang Lung Mathematics Awards, encouraging secondary school students to realise their full creative potential in mathematics and sciences through research.
Through Morningside Foundation, Dr Chan has made major gifts to prestigious institutions worldwide, including the establishment of the Morningside College at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, endowments to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, named after Dr Chan’s late father, support for the UMass Chan Medical School, and the creation of the MIT Morningside Academy for Design. Dr Chan and his wife also made the first and largest named gift in the field of occupational science and endowed the Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of Southern California, named in honour of Dr Chan’s mother.
For more than three decades, Dr Chan has embarked on a unique journey in cultural heritage preservation. As the Founder and Chairman of the China Heritage Fund, he led the restoration of the Jianfu Palace Garden and the Hall of Rectitude in the Forbidden City in Beijing. In Hong Kong, he spearheaded the conservation, restoration and adaptive reuse of the former Explosives Magazine site, a listed heritage site steeped in history, cultural significance and natural beauty, into a cultural and intellectual hub under the auspices of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center. By revitalising these important historical sites for future generations, Dr Chan ensures opportunities for reflection and deeper understanding of our shared history.
As the Co-Founder and Chairman of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society, Dr Chan pioneers the study of philanthropic giving across Asia. Under his leadership, the Centre actively promotes education, research and convenings to advance the social investment sector in the region. The Centre’s efforts in driving positive systemic change reflect Dr Chan's vision of enhancing lives and nurturing a sustainable future.
Dr Chan’s business acumen, outstanding leadership, and compassionate spirit have made meaningful and far-reaching impacts to humankind across generations. In recognition, Hong Kong Baptist University would like to confer on Dr Ronnie Chan the honour of Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa.