名譽大學院士

鄭志剛博士為新世界發展有限公司行政總裁，掌管集團旗下的物業發展、投資、基建、零售、醫養、保險、教育和酒店等業務板塊的戰略發展方向。

鄭博士以優等榮譽成績畢業於哈佛大學東亞文學系，並於2014年獲頒薩瓦納藝術設計學院人文學科榮譽博士學位及嶺南大學榮譽院士。2012年至2018年期間，他曾出任香港大學校董會成員。

鄭博士於2008年創立K11品牌，開創「藝、文、商、社共融」的獨特生態圈，在商業活動中積極孵化創意，培育當代藝術家、設計家和建築師，推廣文化藝術生活化。他亦先後創立了非牟利機構K11 Art Foundation及K11 Craft & Guild Foundation，分別以扶植中國當代藝術家及促進中國傳統工藝復興為使命。2020年，鄭博士宣佈保育皇都戲院，一座香港碩果僅存、擁有近70年歷史的文化表演古蹟。

鄭志剛博士以「創造共享價值」 作為企業核心理念，認為企業的成功與社會進步密不可分。他在2021年創立「新世界建好生活」非牟利房社企，提出了全港首個由私人發展商資助的房屋計劃——「新世界資助房屋」，為年輕家庭提供高品質、可負擔的住房。新冠疫情下，他將創新商界模式注入慈善事業，成立網上平台「Share for Good 愛互送」，利用科技，將捐贈與實際需求高效精準配對，惠及廣大基層家庭。

2016年，鄭博士獲香港特別行政區委任為太平紳士，2022年再獲頒授銀紫荊星章，以表彰其在推廣藝術發展、關懷弱勢社群等方面的卓越貢獻。2017年，他獲法國政府文化部頒授法國藝術與文學軍官勳章，以表揚他在中法文化交流上作出的貢獻。他於2020年獲澳洲及紐西蘭Shared Value Project頒發Shared Value Champion Award，成為亞洲首個獲得此殊榮的行政總裁。
 

Citation delivered by Professor Derek COLLINS, Dean of Arts

Dr Adrian Cheng Chi Kong is the CEO of New World Development Company Limited, overseeing the group’s strategy and ecosystem of property development, infrastructure, retail, health and wellness, insurance, education, and hospitality projects.

Dr Cheng holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree (cum laude) from Harvard University. He is the eldest grandson of Hong Kong’s renowned business leader, Dr Cheng Yu-Tung, and after joining the family business, New World Development Company Limited, in 2007, proceeded to make his mark by demonstrating his exceptional business acumen and entrepreneurial flair. He was named its Executive Vice-Chairman and General Manager in 2017. 

In 2008, Dr Cheng created the K11 brand, a museum-retail complex intertwining art, culture and commerce. In recent years, he has been dedicated to building the “Silicon Valley of Culture” in Greater China, a business and cultural ecosystem that fosters creativity and innovation, nurtures arts talents, and facilitates the networking of young designers and cultural entrepreneurs. 

He also founded the non-profit K11 Art Foundation and the K11 Craft & Guild Foundation – the former being an incubator for up-and-coming artists and creators, and the latter for conserving and preserving Chinese traditional craftsmanship.

I also know from personal experience Dr Cheng is an important collector of contemporary art, including Chinese, Asian and western art, he is a pioneer in his support of the digital evolution of art, and he is an influential collaborator with many important, global art institutions.

In 2020, Dr Cheng announced that New World Development would take on the conservation of the State Theatre. This Grade 1-listed historic building, with some 70 years of history and cultural significance, was a hub for East-meets-West cultural exchange. Working with a local and international team of experts, including some from HKU, his goal was to revitalise the much-loved building, which had sadly fallen into disrepair, preserve its heritage and restore it to its original glory and glamour.

In recent years, Adrian has been transforming New World Development into the first listed company in Hong Kong to incorporate “Creating Shared Value” into its core strategy. This strategy asserts that commercial enterprises have an obligation to take care of other stakeholders in the community for the mutual benefit of corporations and society.

He founded “New World Build for Good”, a not-for-profit social housing enterprise aimed at exploring innovative social housing models for Hong Kong citizens across the economic spectrum. It is piloting the building of Hong Kong's first not-for-profit privately subsidised housing project, providing high quality and affordable flats to young families. 

He also founded Hong Kong’s first large-scale crowd-donation platform “Share for Good”, matching donors with the urgent needs of local communities online and facilitating efficient delivery of supplies to all those in need during the COVID pandemic.

From cultural ecosystem to the global, environmental one, and of particular relevance to the University: Dr Cheng has lent his support to the Eco-Leaders Training Programme of the HKU School of Biological Sciences. Through his sponsorship in 2010, our students gained rare real-life experience and practical training in the Masai Mara National Reserve in East Africa to prepare them as young leaders in nature conservation.

Dr Cheng served as a member of the Court of the University of Hong Kong from 2012 to 2018, when he could also be found on campus sharing his experience and insights with our students. He was conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities by the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2014, and an Honorary Fellowship by Lingnan University in 2014. 

Dr Cheng was appointed Justice of the Peace in 2016, and was awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star in 2022.

Internationally, his dedication to society won him the Shared Value Champion in 2020, the first CEO in Asia to be awarded this title. In 2017, he was presented with the award of Officier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French Government, in recognition of his contributions to cultural exchange between France and China. 

Therefore, Mr Pro-Chancellor, it is my great pleasure to present Dr Adrian Cheng Chi Kong for the Honorary University Fellowship, in recognition of his contributions to Hong Kong, Greater China, the international art world, and academia.