International Infrastructure and Projects Leaders Summit (IIPLS): Speakers

Mr Carl Devlin

Capital Works Director
MTR Corporation Limited

Mr. Devlin joined the Company as Deputy Director – Capital Works from 2021 and became the Capital Works Director in 2022. He leads the Capital Works Business Unit, overseeing new railway extensions and operations projects. With extensive experience in large-scale, multi-disciplinary projects across various sectors, Mr. Devlin has a strong project management and business leadership background. He has worked with stakeholders and international companies in the UK, New Zealand, Australia, USA, Canada, and Japan. He is a Fellow Member of The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from University College Cork in Ireland.

Ir Michael Fong, JP

Director
Civil Engineering and Development Department
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Ir Fong is currently the Director of Civil Engineering and Development, leading the Department in taking forward Hong Kong’s new town development and land supply projects, among which are the Northern Metropolis and Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands that serve as the two key drivers for the social and economic growth of Hong Kong.

Over the past 30 years, Ir Fong held numerous positions in various works departments and the Development Bureau. Ir Fong is widely known in the construction industry as a determined champion of construction safety and innovation technologies.

Mr Jerome Frost OBE

Global Chair
Arup

Jerome Frost is Global Chair of Arup Group, leading all of Arup’s 20,000 people and worldwide operations.

Jerome, an internationally recognised expert in urban planning, major events, and economic development, has led and delivered major projects that set new standards for sustainable development. As the former Head of Design and Regeneration for the Olympic Delivery Authority he played a leading role in the delivery of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games design strategy and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. He has played a key role in other major regeneration schemes across the UK including King’s Cross, Wembley and Bristol Temple Meads, as well as large-scale urban, transport and reconstruction projects globally – in South Africa, South America, China and Asia.

He joined Arup in 1997 working for 6 years in urban planning, economic development and regeneration. After an eight year interval working for English Partnerships and the Olympic Delivery Authority, he re-joined Arup and has since occupied a number of leadership roles including the head of the 2,000 strong UKIMEA Consulting Sector and Arup’s Group Board member spearheading its global Cities Strategy. In 2012, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his services to urban regeneration.

Mr Ian Galbraith

Group Executive Board Director
Mott MacDonald

Ian was appointed to our Executive Board in January 2018 and is responsible for our Group strategy.

He joined Mott MacDonald in 2002 to lead the Programme Management Division. In 2010 Ian took responsibility for the Group’s Europe and Africa businesses, and in 2016 he moved to our Singapore office to become the Asia-Pacific and Australasia regional managing director. Before his appointment to Group strategy director, Ian was responsible for Group Operations.

In his strategy role, Ian is responsible for the development of a consistent, forward-looking business strategy. This ensures the delivery of strong profitable growth and continued differentiation, taking into account our purpose, industry dynamics, the geopolitical landscape, technological change, market opportunity and societal flux.

Ir Hon Chi Keung, GBS, JP

Chairperson
Building Technology Research Institute

Ir. HON Chi-keung, GBS, JP has over 40 years of experience working in the engineering profession and public administration. Ir. Hon joined the Government since 1983 and was the Director of Civil Engineering and Development from 2011 to 2015 and Permanent Secretary for Development (Works) from 2015 to 2018. During his tenure in the Development Bureau, he instigated the regeneration of the construction industry by advocating the “Construction 2.0 – Time to change” roadmap and strengthen the leading role of Hong Kong construction industry and promote long term sustainable development in the industry.

Ir. Hon was awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star in 2018 for his exemplary contributions to the areas of infrastructure development and promotion of quality improvements in the construction industry. He served as the Chief Executive of Secretary of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers from 2020 to 2023. He is currently a Board member of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation.

Mr Low Chian Siong

Executive Director (Centre for Public Projects Management)
Ministry of Finance
Singapore

In Ministry of Finance, Chian Siong oversees a team of professionals that reviews large public building and infrastructure projects to maximise value, minimise costs and risks for the whole of government. The team also develops appropriate systems, processes and controls to help public agencies plan and implement their projects.

Prior to MOF, Chian Siong served in the ministries of Health, Education, Defence and Workforce Development. In particular, he spent the last 10 years planning and implementing public healthcare infrastructure, ranging from hospitals, polyclinics, nursing homes and senior care centres.

Mr Eric Ma Siu-cheung, GBS, JP

President
The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers

Mr Ma is an Executive Director and the CEO of New World Development Company Limited. Before that, he was an Executive Director and the CEO of NWS Holdings Limited. Mr Ma was the Acting CEO of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park Limited and Principal Consultant of the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation. Mr Ma was previously the Secretary for Development of the HKSAR Government, overseeing policy areas ranging from urban planning to heritage conservation and addressing the supply-demand imbalance in land and housing. He was the Executive Vice President, Civil & Infrastructure, Asia Pacific, of AECOM prior to joining the HKSAR Government.

Prof Heiwai Tang

Victor and William Fung Professor in Economics
HKU Business School
Associate Dean (External Relations)
HKU Business School

Heiwai Tang holds the Victor and William Fung Professorship in Economics at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), where he also serves as Director of the Asia Global Institute and Associate Dean for External Relations at the Business School. Before joining HKU, he was a tenured Associate Professor of International Economics at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of Johns Hopkins University.

Mr Patrick Tsang

Chief Executive Officer, Deloitte China
Deloitte Global Executive
Deloitte AP Executive

Patrick Tsang is the CEO of Deloitte China, responsible for leading the practice which covers the geographies of Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and Macau. He is also a member of Deloitte’s Global Executive Committee and a Deloitte Asia Pacific Executive.

Patrick began his career in Hong Kong and moved to Deloitte’s Shanghai office in 1995. With more than 30 years of professional experience and industry expertise, he has provided various audit and advisory services to the most prominent clients in the marketplace. Under his leadership, Deloitte China is deeply committed to making an impact that matters to our clients, people and society.

Patrick is a member of CICPA, ACCA and HKICPA. He is also Member of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the CPPCC, Member of the Chief Executive of the SAR’s Policy Unit Expert Group – Economic Advancement Expert Group, Member of Steering Committee of the Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme under the Hong Kong SAR government, among others.

Dr Janet Young CBE

Director General and Secretary
Institution of Civil Engineers
United Kingdom

Dr Janet Young joined the ICE as Director General and Secretary in January 2023.

She has extensive experience in the built environment sector, having most recently worked in the Cabinet Office where she was head of the Government Property Profession, leading the profession and driving the agenda for the property and estates function.

She has also been global director of estates for the British Council, director of estates for the Ministry of Justice, and head of asset management in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

She is a Major Projects Leadership Academy graduate of the Saïd Business School, and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Royal Engineers, and Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Her PhD, Towards Zero Energy Buildings, looked at the challenges and solutions for low carbon and energy developments.

Janet was awarded a CBE in the King’s Birthday Honours 2023 for public service.

Mr Jack Chan, JP

Chairman
EY China

Mr. Jack Chan is Chairman of EY China. He oversees all business functions of EY in Greater China, managing 34 offices and over 23,000 employees in the region. Jack has over three decades of experience in financial services consulting and auditing, his area of knowledge spans from listing reporting, due diligence to consulting services for Chinese, Asian and European financial institutions. Jack also actively participates in public service through a variety of roles including member of the Exchange Fund Advisory Committee of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

Mr Nick Smallwood

Chief Executive Officer
Infrastructure and Projects Authority
United Kingdom

Nick Smallwood is the Chief Executive Officer of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority and Head of Government’s Project Delivery Function.

Nick is the former Vice President for Projects Engineering and Chief Projects Engineer at Shell. Nick has 40 years experience of managing complex project portfolios and having developed Shell’s Global Project Academy. At Shell, Nick was accountable for managing how projects were delivered and a variety of significant improvement programmes.

Nick was also a trustee of the board of the Association for Project Management (APM) until November 2019, where he contributed to the overall development of the UK’s project management profession.

Ir Lau Chun-kit, Ricky

Permanent Secretary for Development (Works)
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

In October 2021, Ir Ricky LAU was appointed as the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works) to oversee public works policy and infrastructure development.

Ir LAU was the Director of Civil Engineering and Development from October 2018 to October 2021, and was responsible for overseeing the strategic planning and the implementation of various reclamation, new development area and major infrastructure projects. He joined the Hong Kong Government in 1992 as an Assistant Engineer. Before joining the Civil Engineering and Development Department in 2015, he worked in the Highways Department and the Development Bureau.

Mr John Batten

Global Cities Director
Arcadis

As the Global Cities Director for Arcadis, John leads a global team dedicated to delivering outcomes that improve quality of life, safely and sustainably.

John is a globally recognized thought leader in urban sustainability and water and has more than three decades of experience in the field. He now leads a portfolio of twenty-two global cities for Arcadis. Prior to his current positions, he was the Executive Vice President and the Director of Strategic Client Development for Arcadis North America; and Global Water Director. John has a wealth of experience which includes management of drinking water, wastewater utilities, water for industry, water quality and public health, marketing, communications and customer and public relations.

John holds a BS degree in Environmental Sciences from The American University and a Master’s degree in Public Health from New York Medical College.

Mr Davendra Dabasia

CEO Consult
Mace Limited

As CEO for Mace Consult, Davendra is responsible for setting the strategy and growth of their world-class project and programme delivery offering, overseeing their global hubs, markets, and services, and leading their talented teams in the Middle East & Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Americas.

He is passionate about delivering better outcomes and service excellence for clients and communities, with a positive impact always in mind. He brings a hands-on, forward-thinking agile approach, with over 20 years of experience working on some of the most game-changing programmes in the industry.

Mr Heng Teck Thai

Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Communications and Engagement
Building and Construction Authority
Singapore

Mr Heng Teck Thai brings over 20 years of diverse experience in both public and private sectors to his role as Deputy Chief Executive Officer (BuildSG Office) at the Building and Construction Authority (BCA). His career includes roles at the Singapore Economic Development Board, Boston Consulting Group, and various private equity and venture capital firms, where he was involved in investment deals, consulting, sales, operations improvement, and investment portfolio management. He also served as Commissioner of PT BNI Securities, leading its successful turnaround.

Prior to joining BCA, he was a Partner at SMDV, the venture arm and digital platform of Sinar Mas Group, and was CEO of a marketing affiliate and loyalty tech startup incorporated in Indonesia. Additionally, he has experience in property development, having owned and managed two hotel properties in Bali. Mr Heng Teck Thai holds a BSc in Industrial Engineering, an MSc in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

Mr Paul Shepherd-Smith

Global Capability Director
Engineering and Design
AtkinsRéalis

Paul is a Senior Executive who has been with AtkinsRéalis for 20 years. He has extensive international business leadership experience in the multidisciplinary and professional services sector. He currently holds a transformational role as Global Capability Director for Engineering & Design. Paul is passionate about embracing emerging innovation and has been directly involved in a number of global initiatives within the Group focusing on digital disruption and the impact of technology on the future of the business. Paul is people-oriented leader, with deep cultural and geographically diverse experiences having previously led teams and businesses in Africa, India, Middle East, Bahamas, and Asia.

Ms Alpha Lau

Director-General of Investment Promotion
Invest Hong Kong
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Ms Alpha Lau has been Director-General of Invest Hong Kong, the government department responsible for attracting and facilitating direct investment into Hong Kong, since November 2023.

She serves on the government’s Trade and Industry Advisory Board, Hong Kong Maritime and Port Board, International Business Committee, Air Silk Road Task Force, Task Force on External Relations, Task Force on Promoting Web3 Development, Task Force on Promoting and Branding Hong Kong, Mega Events Coordination Group, and on the Market Development Committee of the Financial Services Development Council.

Prior to joining the government, Ms Lau held various senior roles in multinational and Chinese financial institutions, with experience in personal wealth and corporate coverage, risk management, fintech, transactional banking and M&A project management.

Ms Lau holds Bachelor and Master (Hon.) Degrees in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford, and a Certificate in further education from Tsinghua University, Beijing.

Prof Wei Pan

Head, Department of Civil Engineering
The University of Hong Kong; Director, MiCLab
Executive Director
Centre for Innovation in Construction and Infrastructure Development

Professor Wei Pan is Head of Department of Civil Engineering of The University of Hong Kong, where he is also Executive Director of Centre for Innovation in Construction and Infrastructure Development and Director of MiCLab. He is a world-leading scholar in modular integrated construction (MiC), sustainable infrastructure and lifecycle carbon assessment. He has authored 380 publications, being a Top 1% scholar worldwide and a global most impactful scholar in civil engineering by citations. He is Editor-in-Chief of Journal Engineering Sustainability. He is Chartered Builder, Chartered Environmentalist, Member of ASCE, and Fellow of HEA, ICE and HKIE. He achieved many awards including Distinguished Young Investigator of China and MiC Outstanding People.

Mr Andrew Weir, FCA, MBE, BBS, JP

Chairman Pacific Basin Economic Council
Vice Chairman Financial Services Development Council
Convenor Global Belt and Road Forum and
Former Global Head of Asset Management and Real Estate, KPMG

Andrew Weir, FCA, MBE, BBS, JP, was Global Head of Real Estate and Global Head of Asset Management and on the Global Financial Services Leadership steering group at KPMG until his retirement in September 2024. He was Regional Senior Partner of KPMG in Hong Kong from 2011 to 2023. He is Chairman of the Listing Review Committee of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and previously chaired its Listing Committee. He is Deputy Chairman of the Financial Services Development Council and Chairman of Pacific Basin Economic Council. He is a chartered accountant with over 35 years professional experience in real estate, asset management, governance and audit and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (“ICAEW”) and is an elected member of the ICAEW Council. He was awarded an MBE for services to trade and appointed a Justice of the Peace and awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star for public services.

Prof Lin Ming

Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering
Chief Scientist of China Communications Construction Company

Prof. Lin Ming is an expert of technology and management in bridge, tunnel and marine engineering, the Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the Chief Scientist of China Communications Construction Co., Ltd. He has presided over the construction of a number of national key projects, such as the island and tunnel construction project of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. In recent years, he has organized the research and development of Marine technology such as continental shelf floating engineering.

Mr Fahad Mansour AlHashem

Assistant Deputy Minister of Investment Development
Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia

Fahad is the Assistant Deputy Minister of Investment Development at the Ministry of Investment, overseeing the strategic planning and execution of the Services economic Sectors development, in alignment with the Kingdom's Vision 2030. Sectors include Real estate, Tourism, entertainment, ICT and Education.

With a Bachelor of International Business from La Trobe University and over 15 years of experience in the management consulting industry, specialising in business development, international trade, Management and marketing.

Fahad’s mission is to create value and opportunities for many sectors in the kingdom, by attracting and facilitating foreign and domestic investments, developing and implementing policies and regulations, and fostering partnerships and collaborations with key stakeholders.

Fahad is also a Member of the Board of Directors at the Real Estate General Authority, where he provides guidance and advice on the sector's development and growth.

Prof Bent Flyvbjerg

Professor of Major Program Management
BSc, MSc, MA (Oxon), PhD, Dr Techn, Dr Scient, R
Professor Emeritus, University of Oxford
VKR Professor and Chair, IT University of Copenhagen
Senior Research Fellow, St Anne’s College, University of Oxford

Bent Flyvbjerg is Professor of Major Program Management, Professor Emeritus at Oxford University, the Villum Kann Rasmussen Professor and Chair at the IT University of Copenhagen, and Senior Research Fellow at St Anne's College, Oxford University. He is the most cited scholar in the world in project and program management, included on Stanford University's prestigious Top 2% of most cited scholars in the world.

Flyvbjerg is the author or editor of 10 books and 250+ papers, translated into 22 languages. He has pioneered research in behavioural science, including power bias, strategic misrepresentation, uniqueness bias, the cost-benefit fallacy, optimism bias, the planning fallacy, and reference class forecasting.

Flyvbjerg is founder and co-founder of a dozen highly successful research groups, degree programs, and startups. He has received numerous honors and awards, including a knighthood, two Fulbright Scholarships, and the PMI Research Achievement Award.

Flyvbjerg is a senior advisor to government and business, including the White House, 10 Downing Street, and several Fortune 500 companies. Flyvbjerg is founding chairman of Oxford Global Projects, established to leverage his research in practice.

Dr Wang Lixin

Direct General, Senior Engineer
Water Resources Department of Guangdong Province
The People’s Republic of China

Wang Lixin, Ph.D. in Environmental Hydraulics from Tsinghua University and MBA in Finance from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Mr. Wang previously served as the Director of the Water Authority of Shenzhen Municipality and the Vice Mayor of Shenzhen Municipal Government. From 2020 to the present, he has been serving as the Director of the  Water Resources Department of Guangdong Province. He has led the efforts in water management in Shenzhen and the planning and construction of water networks in Guangdong.

Mr Shang Quanmin

Director-General of the
Department of Water Project Construction Management
Ministry of Water Resources, The People's Republic of China

Shang Quanmin, D.Eng, is a professor-level senior engineer. He previously served as Deputy Director General of the Office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, Deputy Director General of the Huaihe River Commission, Deputy Director General and DG-level Supervisory Commissioner of the Department of Flood and Drought Disaster Prevention of the Ministry of Water Resources. He is currently Director-General of the Department of Water Project Construction Management of the Ministry of Water Resources. He has rich experience in the construction of basin flood control projects, emergency rescue and disaster relief, among others, and was involved in emergency rescue efforts in the 1998 and 2020 Yangtze River Basin floods, the 2023 basin-wide catastrophic Haihe River Basin flood, the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, and the 2010 Zhouqu flash floods and debris flow disaster.

Mr Li Liangsheng

Vice Minister
Ministry of Water Resources
The People’s Republic of China

Li Liangsheng, male, Han ethnicity, was born in Fucheng, Hebei Province, in January 1968. He joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in April 1988 and began his first job in July 1990. He holds a Master of Public Administration. Li is currently Vice Minister of Water Resources and a member of the Leading Party Members Group of Ministry of Water Resources.

Dr Paul Hu

Executive Director Greater China
IMD China

Dr. Paul Hu is currently the Executive Director for IMD Greater China, a Swiss business school and a global leading executive education solutions provider. Prior to IMD, he created and developed a new business called Urban Ecosystems for JLL, a Fortune 200 commercial real estate service firm. He was the Managing Director and on the Co-Founding team for the co-working startup naked Hub, which was sold to Wework for USD $400 million. He was also the Founder and CEO for an AB InBev invested digital venture. He received his DBA from CityUHK, EMBA from CEIBS, and BA from U.C. Berkeley.

Mr Cao Jinbiao

Chief Economist
Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development
The People's Republic of China

Mr Cao Jinbiao, currently serving as the Chief Economist, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, was born in Dongyang, Zhejiang Province, in September 1965. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and is a Senior Economist. He has long been dedicated to research and policy formulation in areas such as housing systems, urban and rural development, and economic development, and has achieved considerable expertise in these fields.

Mr Dominic Richards

Principal Investment Officer
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

Dominic is a Principal Investment Officer at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). At AIIB, he has worked with both sovereign and private sector counterparties on a wide range of projects, with a recent focus on digital infrastructure, smart cities and manufacturing.

Prior to joining AIIB, he worked in investment banking at various firms including Citigroup and Standard Chartered where he led investment banking coverage of the Asia Pacific telecom sector.

He has been based in Asia for most of his career, working on loan financing, M&A and IPO deals, including many first-time situations in emerging markets.

He has a master’s degree in economics from the University of Cambridge and a master’s degree in music from the Royal College of Music.

Guest of Honour

The Honourable Paul Chan Mo-po, GBM, GBS, MH, JP

Officiating Guests

Ms Bernadette Linn, JP

Ir Lau Chun-kit, Ricky, JP

Mr David Lam, JP

Distinguished Speakers

Mr Fahad Mansour AlHashem

Mr John Batten

Mr Cao Jinbiao

Mr Jack Chan, JP

Mr Davendra Dabasia

Mr Carl Devlin

Prof Bent Flyvbjerg

Ir Michael Fong, JP

Mr Jerome Frost OBE

Mr Ian Galbraith

Mr Heng Teck Thai

Ir Hon Chi Keung, GBS, JP

Dr Paul Hu

Ms Alpha Lau

Mr Li Liangsheng

Prof Lin Ming

Mr Low Chian Siong

Mr Eric Ma Siu-cheung, GBS, JP

Prof Wei Pan

Mr Dominic Richards

Mr Shang Quanmin

Mr Paul Shepherd-Smith

Mr Nick Smallwood

Prof Heiwai Tang

Mr Patrick Tsang

Dr Wang Lixin

Mr Andrew Weir, FCA, MBE, BBS, JP

Dr Janet Young CBE

Mr Carl Devlin

Ir Michael Fong, JP

Mr Jerome Frost OBE

Mr Ian Galbraith

Ir Hon Chi Keung, GBS, JP

Mr Low Chian Siong

Mr Eric Ma Siu-cheung, GBS, JP

Prof Heiwai Tang

Mr Patrick Tsang

Dr Janet Young CBE

Mr Jack Chan, JP

Mr Nick Smallwood

Ir Lau Chun-kit, Ricky

Mr John Batten

Mr Davendra Dabasia

Mr Heng Teck Thai

Mr Paul Shepherd-Smith

Ms Alpha Lau

Prof Wei Pan

Mr Andrew Weir, FCA, MBE, BBS, JP

Prof Lin Ming

Mr Fahad Mansour AlHashem

Prof Bent Flyvbjerg

Dr Wang Lixin

Mr Shang Quanmin

Mr Li Liangsheng

Dr Paul Hu

Mr Cao Jinbiao

Mr Dominic Richards