Oct 27, 2020
What is your role as a governance professional? ‘Currently I am working as the Corporate Secretary of Livi Bank Ltd, one of Hong Kong’s new digital banks awarded its licence by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority in 2019. I joined in February 2020. I am helping to...
Oct 27, 2020
Four board secretaries share their work experience in diverse areas such as cross-border compliance, capital market operations, information disclosure and communication with foreign institutional investors, as well as their views on the changing perceptions of board...
Oct 27, 2020
Kenneth Jiang FCIS FCS(PE), Chief Representative of the Institute’s Beijing Representative Office, gives an update on the work of the Institute in the Mainland in fiscal 2020. Fiscal 2020 has been an extraordinary year for The Hong Kong Institute of Chartered...
Oct 27, 2020
Dr Gao Wei FCIS FCS(PE), Vice-President, The Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries, reviews the Institute’s work promoting good governance and facilitating cross-border compliance in Hong Kong and the Mainland. As a leading international corporate governance...
Oct 27, 2020
Special Mainland edition Click the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full...
Oct 18, 2019
CSj highlights some of the anticipated, as well as some of the more surprising, findings of the latest research report published by The Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ in corporate governance. Different jurisdictions have...
Oct 18, 2019
This second article in the series by Dr Jag Kundi, a Hong Kong–based scholar-practitioner active in the FinTech space, explains what blockchain is, how it works and its important relationship to governance. Governance is a system of rules, policies and processes to...
Oct 18, 2019
Penelope Shen, Partner, Kwok Yih & Chan, and Stephen Wong, Director of Fund Administration, Amicorp Hong Kong Ltd, shed light on open-ended fund companies and ask us to keep the faith with this new regime. Over a year has passed since Hong Kong introduced the...
Oct 18, 2019
Vincent Chan, Counsel of Appleby (Hong Kong office), summarises recent economic substance requirements and reporting obligations in Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands. The governments of Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and the Cayman...
Oct 18, 2019
Martin Lim, Founder and Director, Ingenique Solutions, provides practical guidelines for implementing internal policies, procedures and controls for anti–money laundering and counter–financing of terrorism compliance, and offers a checklist for busy trust and company...
Oct 18, 2019
Elaine Chen, Partner, Clifford Chance, discusses a recent Hong Kong Court reminder to non-executive directors regarding their duty to enquire and investigate in the face of red flags. The recent Hong Kong judgment of Moulin Global Eyecare Holdings Ltd (in liquidation)...
Oct 18, 2019
State of governance – the vital signs Click the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full...
Oct 16, 2018
The Institute’s latest Corporate Governance Conference, held at the JW Marriott Hong Kong on 14 September 2018, explored the need for a new governance model for a changed world. ‘Nothing,’ as the Keynote Speaker at the Institute’s latest Corporate Governance...
Oct 16, 2018
The Institute’s latest Corporate Governance Conference highlighted the ways in which governance professionals can help future-proof the organisations they work for. The first part of our CGC 2018 review looked at how the context within which businesses operate has...
Oct 16, 2018
David Simmonds FCIS FCS, Group General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer & Company Secretary, CLP Holdings Ltd, looks at the role of governance and governance professionals in keeping business sustainable in the uncertain future. Could we start with some...
Oct 16, 2018
Tony Wong, Founder, and Regina Tai, Consultant, Alaya Consulting, present the results of their latest annual research report on the ESG disclosure practices of Hong Kong listed companies. Fund investments in companies with improving performance on environmental,...
Oct 16, 2018
The Companies Registry responds to queries raised by members of The Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries relating to the extent of due diligence required for compliance with Hong Kong’s new anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism (AML/CFT)...
Oct 16, 2018
Pioneers of change – CGC 2018 special edition Click the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full...
Oct 13, 2017
The not-for-profit sector offers a rewarding and increasingly popular career stream for Chartered Secretaries. This month, CSj talks to company secretaries about the rewards and the challenges of working in this sector. In the context of the limited resources...
Oct 13, 2017
CSj interviews four Chartered Secretaries working for Mainland enterprises listed in Hong Kong about the challenges they faced studying for the International Qualifying Scheme and about the benefits the Chartered Secretarial qualification has brought them in their...
Oct 13, 2017
China has always been a challenging place to do business, and this is just as true for the process of rightsizing operations as it is for building a presence in the market. Brent Carlson, Director, Hong Kong, AlixPartners, offers guidance for companies looking to cull...
Oct 13, 2017
ESG reporting provides transparency on energy use. However, the question remains: how can companies use this information to manage their business and contribute to their success? Anne Jacobs, Senior Expert, Sustainable Construction, BASF, looks at how Chartered...
Oct 13, 2017
Edmund Lowell, Founder, KYC Chain Ltd, argues that the solution to Hong Kongs current know your customer (KYC) compliance woes is distributed ledger technology and customer-owned digital identity. No one living in Hong Kong could be in any doubt that the methods...
Oct 13, 2017
Not for profit: A company secretary perspective Click the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full...
Oct 13, 2016
Concluding the HKICS Corporate Governance Conference 2016, Event Chair Peter Greenwood FCIS FCS, made an impassioned plea to the younger people in the audience to have confidence in their abilities to bring about positive change. This has been the Institute’s...
Oct 13, 2016
In his keynote address on day one of the HKICS Corporate Governance Conference 2016, Professor KC Chan, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, traced the evolution of Hong Kong’s corporate governance system. I am delighted to join you all today at...
Oct 13, 2016
In his keynote address on day two of the HKICS Corporate Governance Conference 2016, Anthony Neoh FCIS FCS, Senior Counsel and Former Chief Adviser to the China Securities Regulatory Commission, looks at three trends that boards cannot afford to ignore in the emerging...
Oct 13, 2016
External investors and stakeholder groups have become much more active players in the corporate governance arena in Hong Kong over last decade, but they are sometimes treated with suspicion by governance players within companies. The HKICS Corporate Governance...
Oct 13, 2016
CSj looks at the key conference conclusions relating to shareholders, stakeholders and the latest corporate governance issues facing Mainland China. Part one of this review focused on the governance players internal to the company – directors and managers, but one of...
Oct 13, 2016
CSj talks to Pru Bennett, Head of BlackRock Investment Stewardship for Asia Pacific and a speaker at the HKICS CGC 2016, about her approach to engaging with investee companies in Hong Kong and the region. Could we start by talking about your background and your role...
Oct 13, 2016
Corporate Governance Conference 2016 – Review Click the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full...
Oct 15, 2015
CSj looks at the benefits and challenges involved in adopting integrated reporting and at the potential role of the company secretary in the process. There can be little doubt that the bar has been rising for corporate disclosure standards over the last three decades....
Oct 15, 2015
Rikke Netterstrom, Executive Director, CSR Asia, suggests some of the issues companies in Asia need to consider when considering adopting integrated reporting. Combining the traditional annual report with the stand-alone sustainability report in an integrated report,...
Oct 15, 2015
In 1991, Bill Wang FCIS FCS took a one-way ticket from China to the US. CSj traces his long and interesting route to his current role as Head of Group Listings, Asia, and Company Secretary, Hong Kong, for Standard Chartered Bank. Thanks for giving us this interview....
Oct 15, 2015
CSj highlights the results of a new KPMG/HKICS survey to assess the awareness and preparedness of organisations in Hong Kong and Mainland China to manage and oversee risks. Risk management has been climbing the regulatory agenda internationally since the global...
Oct 15, 2015
Communication skills are one of the most underestimated requirements of the company secretarial role, believes HKICS Past President and HKICS Prize 2014 awardee, Neil McNamara FCIS FCS. In this extract from his speech as Guest of Honour at the HKICS Convocation 2015,...
Oct 15, 2015
For the first time since the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing (Financial Institutions) Ordinance (AMLO) came into force on 1 April 2012, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority has exercised its resulting power to impose a pecuniary penalty on a bank....
Oct 15, 2015
Crisis management is only the first step for Volkswagen, argues Gilles Hilary, Professor of Accounting and Control, INSEAD. Whether or not the company bounces back depends on its ability to change its culture. With the Volkswagen (VW) logo on the front page of every...
Oct 15, 2015
Integrated reporting – The DIY approach Click the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full...
Oct 5, 2014
True to form, the latest HKICS corporate governance conference set itself some hard questions to answer. Peter Greenwood FCIS FCS, Conference Chair, and Kieran Colvert, Editor, CSj, take a look at the highlights as well as some of the lighter moments of the...
Oct 5, 2014
This third article in our ‘Know your Institute’ series looks at how the Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries, as the membership and qualifying body for Chartered Secretaries in Hong Kong, helps students and members acquire the skills they need for...
Oct 5, 2014
In the second Q&A in our ‘Get the FAQs’ series, the Securities and Futures Commission answers questions relating to inside information disclosure raised by attendees at this year’s Annual Corporate and Regulatory Update. Q: For inside...
Oct 5, 2014
Q: A significant amount of work is undertaken by directors in between meetings, typically on an urgent basis, in the form of approval of circular resolutions and signing of documents. Can these work flows be integrated into our board portal? A: Yes, this kind of work...
Oct 5, 2014
Asking difficult questions – CGC 2014 review. Click the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full...
Oct 6, 2013
Inside information – When and what to disclose. Click the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full...
Oct 6, 2013
Company secretaries have been in the frontline of the battle to advise on compliance with Hong Kong’s inside information disclosure regime and this month they share with CSj some of the experience they have gained. Compliance challenges don’t come much harder...
Oct 6, 2013
Few people have had a career as varied and itinerant as economist and corporate governance consultant Dr Grant Kirkpatrick. In interview with CSj, he shares some of the experience he has gained while rescuing banks in Japan, helping to launch a market economy from...
Oct 6, 2013
In a presentation to HKICS members last month, Anna Wu, Chairman, Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority, discussed her wish list for reforms to Hong Kong’s MPF system. Since its creation in 2000, Hong Kong’s Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) pension...
Oct 6, 2013
China is searching for a new growth order for its restlessly expanding cities, suggest Andrew Sheng and Xiao Geng of the Fung Global Institute. Between 1978 and 2012, China’s GDP grew at an average annual rate of about 10% – from US$341 billion to US$8.3...
Oct 6, 2013
From the beginning of this month (1 October 2013), all listing applications will need to comply with Hong Kong’s new IPO sponsor regulatory regime. Law firm Mayer Brown JSM discusses seven major changes under the new sponsor regime and gives practical tips on...
Oct 7, 2012
This month the Institute’s eighth biennial Corporate Governance Conference (CGC) will ask whether the institution of the board of directors, inherited from the 17th century, is fit for purpose in today’s business environment. CSj looks at the evolution of...
Oct 7, 2012
Few would question the value of director training – least of all Dr Grant Kirkpatrick, corporate governance consultant and economist, who will be speaking on this subject at this month’s CGC 2012. However, in this article he shifts the focus from general...
Oct 7, 2012
For decades the debate over the relative merits of the onetier versus the two-tier board structure has raged in academic papers, seminars, conferences and, yes, in boardrooms themselves. What is the answer to this dilemma? Corporate governance expert Dr YRK Reddy, who...
Oct 7, 2012
Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal (CFA) has allowed the appeals of two traders, quashing their convictions for creating a false or misleading appearance of active trading contrary to the market misconduct provisions of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (SFO),...
Oct 7, 2012
CGC 2012 Special edition – Can a 17th century institution run a 21st century company? Click the cover image below to view or download a pdf of the full...
