Press Release
HKBU to present the 7th Distinguished Alumni Award to Albert Au, Cathy Lui, Louis Yan and William Yeung
Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021
Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) announced today (17 February) that it will present its seventh annual Distinguished Alumni Award to Mr Albert Au Sui-keung, Dr Cathy Lui Nga-ping, Mr Louis Yan Chak-kuen and Mr William Yeung Chu-kwong in recognition of their outstanding business, professional and scholarly achievements, as well as their service and contributions to the University and society. The Award also aims to motivate current students to learn from the awardees' valuable experiences and successes.
The Selection Committee for this Award was chaired by Dr Clement Chen, Chairman of the Council and the Court of HKBU, and it included Professor Roland Chin, President Emeritus of HKBU; Mr Lester G. Huang, Partner and Co-Chairman of P. C. Woo & Co; Dr Carrie Willis, Former Executive Director of the Vocational Training Council; and Miss Janet Wong, Former Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, HKSAR Government.
Introduction to the Distinguished Alumni Award recipients
Mr Albert Au Sui-keung
Mr Albert Au is a renowned and respected Hong Kong broadcaster and musician. He graduated from the Department of Communication at Hong Kong Baptist College in 1981. With his musical talent, Albert has earned his reputation as the "Prince of Folk Songs" in the Chinese-speaking community, and he is widely acknowledged to have one of the best male voices in the industry. Also known as the "Father of Hong Kong Folk Songs" , he made his name in the music arena with his remarkable ability to mix Western folk music with Cantonese pop songs, creating a unique style of his own.
During his 45-year music career, Albert has recorded and produced numerous award-winning and best-selling albums. His songs appear frequently in the charts, and he has won a number of music awards for some of the most popular and signature songs of all time. Currently, Albert hosts two longstanding and popular radio programmes, namely Two Thousand Beautiful Songs 2000 and Albert Au on Radio Television Hong Kong, and during these shows he shares his love and passion for music with his audience. With his creative mind, Albert also live streams performances of golden oldies and chats with top Hong Kong singers on his radio programmes, which are widely enjoyed by Chinese people all over the world.
Albert is a man of great versatility and he has been active in showbiz over the years. In addition to singing and hosting radio programmes, he has participated in TV dramas and films. He is also highly respected for being a team player with different generations, and he is an enthusiastic supporter of young talent in the industry. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Albert produced and performed in numerous online concerts, and he offered them for free to cheer up his worldwide fans and medical workers with his songs and positive energy.
In 1988, Albert set up the Music Farm, reflecting his love of folk songs and devotion to music. The cultural organisation advocates a positive and green attitude through music education, and over the years the Music Farm has hosted many meaningful activities for local institutions and companies.
As a loyal alumnus and avid supporter of HKBU, Albert has spared no effort in supporting his alma mater with his special talents. He often provides advice to the University and has also directed and performed at various University events, including the 55th anniversary celebrations, as well as Council and Foundation Dinners. In 2015, he served as an advisor for the HKBU 60th Anniversary Organising Committee on Alumni Events and created as well as performed the theme song for the 60th anniversary celebrations. He also designated one of his annual concerts as "HKBU Alumni Night", which showed his unwavering dedication to HKBU and his pride as an HKBU alumnus.
Dr Cathy Lui Nga-ping
Dr Cathy Lui is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of OPER Technology Limited. A dedicated biomedical scientist with a brilliant academic record, Cathy received an award from the Japan Neuroscience Society during the third year of her undergraduate studies, becoming the youngest awardee in the process.
After graduating from the Department of Biology at HKBU, Cathy decided to specialise in neuroscience and she went on to obtain a PhD from her alma mater. With a post-doctoral fellowship granted by the American Parkinson Disease Association, she continued her research into the biomedical applications of nanomaterials at Northwestern University, US.
Cathy has subsequently extended her research into the molecular and physiological pathogenesis of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, and she has been investigating the use of novel treatments for these disorders. Cathy and her team have also developed a ground-breaking technology called Autologous Neural Stem Cell Harvest, which has the potential to cure neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. It is the first technology in the world that can safely harvest neural stem cells from patients, and it can provide an alternative source of stem cells to the patients themselves for autologous cell replacement therapy.
The technology won the Gold Medal in the Surgery Category and the Award for High Scientific and Technological Level of the Invention at the 44th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in 2016. The research has also drawn widespread public interest and it has been highlighted in several international magazines, including New Scientist.
As both an academic researcher and an entrepreneur, Cathy has earnestly dedicated her career to offering hope to patients with incurable diseases by commercialising her patented scientific research. Under her leadership, her biotechnology startup has achieved remarkable results, and it has received more than 36 local and international awards, including the first runner-up prize in the Entrepreneurial Category at the 5th China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. She was also a finalist at the GSK Neuro 2020 Symposium. Cathy was listed as one of the top ten innovators under the age of 35 in the Asia Pacific region by the MIT Technology Review. She was also named as the Greater Bay Area Outstanding Young Women Entrepreneur and Young Achiever of the Year at the Women of Influence Awards, which were organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.
Cathy is a Committee Member of the HKBU Biology Alumni Association and a Senior Research Associate of HKBU. Since her undergraduate days, she has enjoyed every moment of her time at HKBU. Instead of continuing her postgraduate studies at other universities, Cathy chose to continue her academic journey at HKBU and she is proud to say that she is a "Made at HKBU" scientist.
Mr Louis Yan Chak-kuen
Mr Louis Yan is a popular Hong Kong professional magician. Having studied Marketing at the HKBU College of International Education, he furthered his studies and obtained a bachelor's degree in Communication Studies and Marketing from the University of Wollongong, Australia in 2007. He joined the HKBU Magic Club during his school days and soon became fascinated by how magic can captivate and bring happiness to people. After graduation, he studied hard and participated in numerous magic shows, and he is now recognised as one of the most successful magicians in Hong Kong.
Over the past decade, Louis has won numerous global awards, and he has also gained international recognition from his contemporaries in the magic community. In 2010, he became the first Hong Kong magician to win both Abbott's Magic Competition in the US and the 6th Joker Magic International Stage Magic Competition in Hungary. He was also named as the Best Stage Performer at the Merlin Awards, which is known as the "Oscars of Magic" , in the same year. He has also broken two Guinness World Records. One was for the "Fastest Escape from a Straitjacket Underwater", which he achieved in a time of 25.75 seconds in 2013. It is both a Hong Kong record and a first-of-its-kind Guinness World Record.
Louis is the first Hong Kong magician to stage a world tour. He has hosted magic shows in Las Vegas, Toronto, Melbourne, Sydney, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Macau since 2014, and he wrote his name into the history books as the first Hong Kong magician to have a magic stage show in Las Vegas. Louis loves integrating local culture into his magic performances. He has frequently appeared on television and featured in Street Sorcerers, a programme series produced by Television Broadcasts Limited. As a Hong Konger, he gladly accepted the invitation from the HKSAR Government to promote Hong Kong by performing around the world, and he has since performed in the US, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. In 2020, Louis was also invited to perform at the CCTV New Year's Gala.
Louis is currently the Honorary President of the HKBU Magic Club. He also participated in HKBU's 55th and 60th anniversary celebration events. In addition, Louis gives a lot back to society, and in 2016 he founded Dream Catcher, a charity group which aims to encourage youngsters, through school talks and performances, to chase their dreams. In recognition of his outstanding achievements, he received the Global Chinese Outstanding Youth Award in 2016 and was the first magic performer to be selected as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons in Hong Kong in 2019.
Mr William Yeung Chu-kwong
Mr William Yeung is the Co-Owner and Executive Vice-chairman of the HKBN Group. As an entrepreneur who lives and breathes telecommunications and technology, William's prolific career in the field first began with Tricom in Hong Kong, followed by a role as the Director of the Customers Division at SmarTone Mobile Communications.
He joined HKBN in 2005 as the Chief Operating Officer, was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer in 2008, and became the Executive Vice-chairman in 2018. William plays a prominent role in growing HKBN business, and having led a sequence of important acquisitions and mergers, HKBN has been transformed into a leading integrated telecom and technology solutions provider with operations spanning Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, mainland China and Macau.
Under William's leadership, HKBN cherishes its employees by treating them as Talents. Through broad-based Co-Ownership, LIFE-work priority commitment and comprehensive lifelong learning programmes, he has successfully cultivated a Talent-first corporate culture at HKBN, and the company has won numerous accolades as the best employer to work for in the region. In recognition of his outstanding leadership, William was awarded the Champion of Human Resources by The Hong Kong HRM Awards in 2010.
William has a strong sense of social responsibility. Guided by his insights, HKBN put its core purpose, "Make our Home a Better Place to Live", into action by leveraging its corporate strengths and expertise to give back to the community. Over the years, HKBN has implemented numerous Corporate Social Investment projects which have supported many people in the community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, HKBN launched the #ToughTimesTogether campaign to proactively help different stakeholders ride out the challenging times, including service fee waivers for about one million households and companies in Hong Kong, free broadband for 10,000 underprivileged families, free mobile devices and service for elderly homes and individuals in need, mentorship opportunities and work experience for fresh graduates, as well as free remote solutions and business continuity service for corporates.
William has maintained close links with HKBU and the Department of History since his graduation in 1985. Over the years, he has made generous donations to HKBU for various scholarship and sponsorship programmes, and he has supported his alma mater with his time and wise counsel. Since 2017, he has served as an Advisory Committee Member of the Department of History, and he is currently Chairman of the Advisory Committee as well as a Member of the Court at the University. He supports the University with enthusiasm and has actively participated in various events and talks, including a SEED Talk and a Distinguished Alumni Lecture hosted by the Department of History, to share with alumni and students his profound life experiences and career development.
William holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hong Kong Baptist University, a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Strathclyde, U.K., and a Master of Science degree in Electronic Commerce and Internet Computing from The University of Hong Kong.
