Two distinguished guests shared the secrets to achieving excellence in their careers while at the same time contributing to society and pursuing personal interests outside work at an alumni forum hosted by City University of Hong Kong (CityU) on 24 March.

The forum, “Leader Charisma: From Career Success to Personal Fulfillment”, was organised by CityU’s Alumni Relations Office. Ms Mary Cheung, Managing Director and Founder of Mary Cheung and Associates (International) Limited, and Professor Dennis Lam Shun-chiu, Chairman of Project Vision Charitable Foundation, were the guest speakers while Ms Agnes Wu Mang-ching, Director of Hong Kong Financial Information Consultants Limited, was the forum facilitator. Besides being a CityU alumna, Ms Wu is also a member of the Executive Committee of the newly established CityU Eminence Society.

In his welcoming speech, Professor Way Kuo, CityU President, said he was glad to see many supportive alumni attending the event. “The University is expanding rapidly,” said Professor Kuo. “We have recently received a donation of HK$100 million from The Shaw Foundation Hong Kong Limited to support the University’s development. Earlier this year, students from the School of Law beat off competitors from overseas and local universities in a number of international law moot court competitions, winning awards and representing Hong Kong in an international final. The University will continue to work towards excellence in research and professional education, so that all alumni can feel proud of the University.”

During the sharing session, both speakers said they wanted to give something back to society because they remembered the support they were given when they were children.

“Giving is better than receiving,” said Ms Cheung. “Giving is in fact a process of self-awareness during which you can remind yourself how blessed you are. When you spend your life helping others, your life will be more fulfilling.”

When talking about leadership charisma, Professor Lam raised the two “VIPs” that a leader should pay attention to. The two ‘V’s stand for Vision and Value, the two ‘I’s for Integrity and Innovation and the two ‘P’s for People and Partnership. “No matter which area you are in, a successful leader must have a long-term vision for future development and direction, identify worthy values, act with integrity and be innovative and skilled at communicating and partnering with people,“ said Professor Lam.

This event was the third in a series of CityU Alumni Forums. CityU will continue to identify the interests and needs of alumni and organise forums with different topics on a regular basis by inviting distinguished leaders and professionals as speakers to share their experience, strengthening bonds among alumni and expanding their social network.