Application and Nomination

The Role

Reporting directly to the Council, the President and Vice-Chancellor serves as the chief executive and academic leader of HKBU. Supported by a senior management team including the Provost, three Vice-Presidents, and the Chief Innovation Officer, the appointee holds accountability for the University’s strategic direction, academic vitality, and institutional sustainability. At its core, this leadership mandate requires driving transdisciplinary advancement and championing research translation, ensuring HKBU’s scholarly breakthroughs address complex global challenges and deliver tangible societal impact.

The President and Vice-Chancellor will also steer the University’s trajectory in close alignment with national development goals, while simultaneously expanding HKBU’s international footprint. The appointee will leverage these regional and global networks to forge strategic partnerships and secure vital resources for long-term growth. Success in these ambitious endeavours requires a unifying leader who can engage diverse stakeholders and cultivate a forward-looking campus culture that honours the University’s heritage.

The Person

The successful candidate will be evaluated against the following core criteria:

Academic Excellence and Credibility

The ideal candidate will be a well-known expert and established scholar with an international reputation of eminence in their academic discipline. This leader must possess a distinguished track record of teaching, learning, research, and service. Furthermore, the successful appointee will demonstrate a proven capacity to advance scholarly excellence, foster interdisciplinary research, drive innovation, and champion knowledge transfer to deliver tangible societal and economic impact.

Strategic Leadership and Vision

The appointee must be capable of aligning the University’s mission with the myriad challenges and opportunities facing higher education locally, regionally, and globally. By championing the University’s goals with progressive and innovative thinking, this leader will play a critical role in HKBU’s future development. Crucially, the candidate should demonstrate a deep understanding of, and ability to align with, the Nation’s education and development priorities while simultaneously enhancing the University’s international standing and global connections.

Institutional Management and Governance

Bringing proven university leadership and management abilities, the candidate should have extensive experience leading complex institutions through periods of transformation, growth, and change. This requires strong capabilities in strategic planning, vision realisation, and effective resource management. The incoming President and Vice-Chancellor must also exhibit strong crisis management skills, the ability to attract, retain, and motivate top-tier academic and administrative talent, and the foresight to provide clear direction and guidance to the senior management team on issue management. The leader will leverage excellent organisational skills to uphold good corporate governance practices and ensure institutional sustainability.

External Relations and Advocacy

Serving as an articulate and effective communicator, the successful candidate will represent and promote the University’s interests. This requires a strong track record in liaison work with the Government, external organisations, professional bodies, higher education institutions, research and development bodies, and innovation and technology platforms. Excellent interpersonal skills are essential to drive successful fundraising initiatives, secure resources, and build strategic partnerships and collaborations at local, regional, national, and international levels.

Personal Attributes and Values

The University seeks a dedicated leader characterised by passion, enthusiasm, and high ethical values, who respects the Christian heritage of HKBU and supports academic freedom and institutional autonomy. The appointee must be committed to building close relationships with students, staff, and alumni, and have extensive experience working collaboratively with people of diverse backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs.

Period of Appointment

The initial appointment will normally be made on a five-year contract, renewable subject to mutual agreement.

Application/Nomination Procedures

Asianet Consultants (H.K.) Limited has been appointed to support this search exercise. Interested parties are invited to send their applications (which should include a cover letter and a detailed resume) or nominations to Mr. Peter Liu at Unit 05, 29/F, Infinitus Plaza, 199 Des Voeux Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, or via hkbupvc@asianetconsultants.com. For enquiries, please call (852) 2530 0130.

Review of applications and nominations will begin in July 2026 and continue until the position is filled. The University reserves the right not to fill the position or to fill it by invitation. All information provided will be used solely for the purposes of this search and kept strictly confidential. All personal data provided will be destroyed in due course.