Sustainable investments have gained a stronger foothold among asset owners and investment practitioners, marking their evolution into a more mature field. However, investors face multiple implementation challenges as they pursue both investment and sustainability outcomes. The Symposium unites various stakeholders within the investment ecosystem to address these issues and explore effective solutions. Building on last year’s success, this event showcases how sustainable investing navigates these hurdles to advance.
Event Details
Date: 19 June 2025 (Tuesday)
Time: 2:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Venue: HKU iCube (4005-07, 40/F, Two Exchange Square, Central, Hong Kong)
Venue Sponsor:
PANEL 1: Challenges to the Asset Owners to Achieve Sustainability Outcomes
Resource constraints, green-washing risks, fiduciary duty vs responsible investments, product mismatch, benchmark limitations, long term benefits vs short term performance pressure.
PANEL 2: Reality Check: Navigating the Roadblocks in Sustainable Investing
In 2025, sustainable investing comes face-to-face with reality, as investors encounter various roadblocks, from political backlash to credibility concerns. This panel will explore these challenges, their impact on decision-making and implementation, and strategies to overcome them.
Mark your calendars and save the date for the 2025 Sustainable Investing Symposium! Don’t miss this opportunity to join industry leaders and shape the future of sustainable finance.
Speakers
Opening Remarks
Dr. Alvin Ho, CFA
President
CFA Society Hong Kong
Dr. Alvin Ho is an experienced investment principal with a proven track record in private equity. While dedicating time to teaching at universities, he balances managing private investment portfolios and institutional LP investing with mentoring both start-ups and established companies. In addition, he serves as a board member for listed companies and NGOs, and is a member of investment committees for various funds and platforms. Previously the legal and executive representative for local currency funds incorporated in Beijing and Chengdu, he was the Head of China for a pan-regional private equity growth fund.
As President of the Society, Alvin spearheaded key initiatives to advance industry collaboration. He curated the Society’s 30th-anniversary publication, featuring insights from 30 distinguished industry experts, and launched the flagship ‘Presidential Moment’ series, convening global luminaries including a Nobel Laureate, top strategists, authors, and executives like a multinational bank’s Hong Kong CEO.
Alvin holds a Ph.D. in Finance from the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, along with master’s degrees from Tsinghua University and London Business School. He has authored three books in Chinese on the economics of sports, and served as chief editor of, and contributor to, RISE FROM CRISES, a publication of CFA Society Hong Kong.
Keynote Speech
Mr. Paul Chow
Group General Counsel
Group Chief Sustainability Officer
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX)
Paul Chow is Group Chief Sustainability Officer and Group General Counsel at HKEX and is a member of its Management Committee.
Based in Hong Kong, Paul heads up the Group’s Legal & Secretariat functions, overseeing the Legal and Secretarial Services teams globally. He also provides strategic legal counsel to the HKEX Board and Senior Management team. In addition, he oversees the Sustainability function at HKEX, encompassing the Corporate Responsibility & Foundation team and the Carbon & ESG Product team. In this role, he is responsible for driving the Group’s sustainability strategies that align with HKEX’s purpose and long-term goals.
Prior to joining HKEX in 2021, Paul worked at Cathay Pacific Airways where he was Group General Counsel and Company Secretary. Before working in-house, he was a partner at Davis Polk Wardwell LLP, Linklaters and Slaughter and May, bringing broad experience from both private practice and as in-house counsel, along with specific expertise in corporate finance and capital markets. Outside of HKEX, he is a member of the Supervisory Committee of Tracker Fund of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong SAR Government’s Standing Committee on Company Law Reform, Funds Management Sub- Committee of the Hong Kong Housing Authority, Resolvability Review Tribunal and Standing Committee on Compliance of the Law Society of Hong Kong.
Paul holds a Bachelor of Laws from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Master of Science in Global Business from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
PANEL 1: Challenges to the Asset Owners to Achieve Sustainability Outcomes
Mr. Paul Colwell, CFA
Senior Director, Investments
Head of Portfolio Advisory, Asia
WTW
(Moderator)
Paul Colwell leads the Portfolio Advisory team for WTW’s Investments business in Asia. Based in Hong Kong, he works directly with endowments, public and sovereign wealth funds, as well as corporate clients, and family offices across the region.
Paul’s specialty is advising clients on investment strategy, risk management, multi-asset portfolio construction, dynamic positioning, manager selection and implementation. With oversight of client portfolio recommendations, he is primarily responsible for ensuring that portfolio advice is appropriate given client objectives, risk tolerance and constraints, and fully incorporates WTW’s best ideas.
Paul also serves as the client director for several key clients in the region, including WTW’s fiduciary management clients, where WTW manages the client portfolio on a discretionary basis. He is a member of WTW’s Global Macroeconomic Portfolio Management Group – the decision-making body tasked with determining dynamic asset allocation positioning, for client portfolios where WTW acts as the fiduciary manager.
Paul has close to 20 years of industry experience. Prior to moving to Hong Kong, he spent five years working in investment management with Zurich Life in Dublin, Ireland.
Paul holds a Master of Science in Financial Services (First Class Honours) from the University of Limerick and a Bachelor of Commerce in Banking and Finance from University College Dublin in Ireland.
In addition, Paul is a designated Responsible Officer, Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission for Type 1 (Dealing in Securities), Type 4 (Advising on Securities) and Type 9 (Asset Management) Regulated Activities
Mr. Richard Chan, CFA
Chief Investment and ALM Officer, Head of ESG
CTF Life
Richard Chan is the Chief Investment and ALM Officer and the Head of ESG of CTF Life. He is responsible for all investment and asset-liability management (ALM) matters of CTF Life including strategic asset allocation, tactical asset allocation, hedging solution and liquidity management. His team performs securities selection and trading activities in the directly managed portfolios covering rates, credit, equities and derivatives, as well as the manager selection and oversight in the delegated portfolios. As the Head of ESG, he is also responsible for setting the GHG reduction target, implementing climate risk measurement tools and preparing the ESG disclosure for CTF Life.
Before joining CTF Life, Richard was the HK Chief Investment Officer and Asia Head of ALM of AXA. Further before, he was the Capital and Investment Actuary in Prudential Hong Kong and the Chief Risk Officer of Aviva HK. Richard is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a CFA charterholder and an FRM charterholder.
Mr. Kevin Liem, CFA
Treasurer of the Council and Court
Hong Kong Baptist University
Kevin Liem is the Treasurer of the Council and Court of the Hong Kong Baptist University, and serves as the Chairman of its Finance Committee, Investment Committee and Superannuation Fund. He also holds the position as the Chief Investment Officer of a Hong Kong-based family office and Chairperson of the Hong Kong Securities and Investment Institute. Prior to that, he was the Chief Investment Officer for the Asian region at Swiss private banking group Compagnie Bancaire Helvétique SA, following his tenures with Aetos Capital’s Asia Pacific Speculative Investment Fund and UBS Investment Bank’s Investment Banking Department, respectively.
Kevin is a CFA charterholder and a Certified Public Accountant. He graduated with a Master of Taxation degree from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from the University of Toronto.
In addition, Kevin is also a regular guest host and columnist for various financial media channels providing commentaries on global economic and financial affairs.
Mr. Richard Mak, CFA
Chairman
Investment Sub-committee
The University of Hong Kong
(Immediate Past President, CFA Society Hong Kong)
Richard Mak has been the Head of Product and Business Management – Asia of Pictet Wealth Management since January 2020. He is responsible for the product development and business risk management of the Asia Investment Platform. He joined Pictet in 2011 to lead the Asia Advisory Team providing investment advice to high net-worth investors. Prior to joining Pictet, he was Head of Advisory-Asia at BNP Paribas Wealth Management. He has more than 30 years’ experience in the finance industry, including 17 years in equity investments, and he has been advising private clients on global investments since 2003.
Richard is the Immediate Past President of CFA Society Hong Kong and served as the President from 2003 to 2005 and 2021 to 2022. He was the President Council Representative of the Asia Pacific Region of CFA Institute between 2004 and 2008. He received the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from CFA Institute.
Richard has been a CFA charterholder since 1993 and obtained the CFA Institute’s Certificate in ESG investing in 2022. He holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences from the University of Hong Kong (HKU).
PANEL 2: Reality Check: Navigating the Roadblocks in Sustainable Investing
Mr. Wai-Shin Chan, CFA
Independent Sustainability Advisor
(Moderator)
Wai-Shin Chan is a highly experienced analyst integral in driving the global climate and sustainability agendas. He provides cutting-edge thought-leadership for diverse stakeholders such as investors, corporates, and regulators by analysing, distilling and synthesising sustainability information, trends and developments. He is currently an independent advisor.
Wai-Shin was previously Head of HSBC’s Climate Change Centre of Excellence and also Global Head of Environmental Social Governance (ESG) research. This dual role involved analysis of climate change and its multi-asset implications as well as the integration of ESG within HSBC’s Global Research. His research was highly sought after internally across multiple departments of HSBC as well as externally across multiple regions by diverse clients of HSBC.
Before HSBC, Wai-Shin worked as a fund manager and was deeply involved in the incorporation of ESG issues into the investment decision-making process. He is a former Executive Director of the Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia, and worked for a leading investment bank as the ESG equity analyst for Asia.
Before ESG, Wai-Shin was an equity analyst for several years, where he focused on the transportation sector. He holds a degree in Mathematics and Physics from Durham University (first class honours) and is a CFA charterholder.
Mr. Felix Lam
Executive Director, APAC ex Japan Head of Investment Stewardship
J.P. Morgan Asset Management
Felix Lam joined JP Morgan Asset Management in 2021 as the Asia ex-Japan Head of Investment. Prior to that, he worked as an equity research analyst for over 16 years, with a primary focus on the energy and materials industries, including renewable energy, oil and gas, metals and mining, and construction materials.
Felix obtained an MBA from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and is a member of CPA Australia’s ESG Centre of Excellence. He is also an EFFAS Certified ESG Analyst (CESGA) and holds the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) FSA Credential.
Mr. Hendrik Rosenthal
Director – Group Sustainability
CLP Holdings Limited
Hendrik Rosenthal is responsible for the CLP Group’s sustainability-focused strategy, reporting and engagement. He supports the senior management in sustainability and climate-related risk management and advises on a range of sustainability matters of the Group’s power business in the Asia-Pacific region, including carbon markets, sustainability reporting standards, and compliance.
With more than 20 years of experience in sustainability and environmental management across the public, private and NGO sectors, Hendrik previously led research and consulting projects in Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Hendrik currently sits on several sustainability-related committees, including as a director of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), and as a member of the IFRS Sustainability Reference Group. In Hong Kong, he serves as a member of the Sustainability Disclosure Standards Committee of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA), Co-Chair of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham HK) Sustainability Committee, and a member of the Environment and Sustainability Committee of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC).
Closing Remarks
Mr. Tim Chan, CFA
Executive Director, Head of ESG Pillar and Vice Chair of Continuing Education Committee
CFA Society Hong Kong
Tim Chan is the Head of Sustainability Research (Asia Pacific ex Japan) at a bulge bracket investment bank. He is a Vice Chair of the Continuing Education Committee of CFA Society Hong Kong and heads the ESG pillar.
Previously, Tim was a senior ESG analyst at Manulife Investment Management where he led the ESG integration, research, and engagement efforts in North Asia. Before that, he worked as an advisory manager at Ernst & Young within their climate change and sustainability services team.
Tim holds a bachelor of science in molecular biotechnology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a master of science in environmental management from the University of Hong Kong. He is also a CFA charterholder, a chartered environmentalist and an EFFAS certified ESG analyst. He currently serves as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Science and Technology (HKUST)