To celebrate the conferment of honorary doctoral degrees, the University has organised a series of activities entitled "Brilliance of Civilization" for the honorary doctors to share their wisdom and insights with the general public. In this connection, Dr. William Fung, SBS, OBE, JP, the recipient of HKBU honorary degree of Doctor of Business Administration 2017, delivered a public lecture on "Managing Change in a Radically Disrupted World" on 18 April 2018, during which he shared his views on how to cope with and thrive in the age of change and radical disruption.

Officiated by Ms. Rosanna Choi, Treasurer of the Council and the Court, and Professor Clayton MacKenzie, Provost, the public lecture was well attended by over 160 guests, including community leaders, HKBU Council and Court members, HKBU Foundation members, staff, students, alumni, supporters and friends of HKBU.

In his welcoming remarks, Professor MacKenzie thanked Dr. William Fung for his and his family foundations’ remarkable contributions and staunch support for the University over the years. Dr. Fung is a preeminent entrepreneur and business leader who is best known for his contribution to the development of Hong Kong as a leading international trading hub and for his outstanding public service in trade promotion and economic development. Professor MacKenzie also praised Dr. Fung for his strong care about the society and unstinting support to higher education as well as research.

Following an introduction to the achievements and contributions of Dr. William Fung by Professor Edward Snape, Dean of School of Business, Dr. Fung discussed the importance of a company’s ability to adjust to the changes of the global marketplace and its foresight to proactively anticipate the world’s forthcoming direction and adjust the business strategies accordingly. He said the different phases of change management of a company is comparable to the development of a young person from secondary school, university education to postgraduate studies: it is important to anticipate change (secondary school); not be afraid to reinvent (university education), and above all, institutionalise reinvention (postgraduate studies). The enlightening lecture aroused keen interest and sparked enthusiastic exchanges of views among participants during the Q&A session.

To express the University's sincere appreciation, Ms. Choi and Professor MacKenzie presented a souvenir to Dr. Fung. A dinner in honour of Dr. Fung was hosted by Ms. Choi on behalf of the University after the public lecture.