The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology School of Business and Management (HKUST Business School) hosted a BizInsight@HKUST Luncheon Forum on 13 September 2017. The forum featured scholars in the field of family business studies and a dynamic group of next generation leaders to discuss the future of Chinese family businesses.
Over 160 business leaders, professionals working for family businesses and guests from the HKUST community also gathered to honor the renewed donation from the Tanoto Foundation to the HKUST’s Tanoto Center for Asian Family Business and Entrepreneurship Studies.
“HKUST is a leader in global business education dedicated to grooming the next generation of leaders and enhancing its understanding of issues with significant impact on the world’s economy,” said Prof Tony F Chan, President of HKUST. “The generous and continued support from Tanoto Foundation has provided a strong impetus for our researchers to develop relevant studies and content-rich cases which contribute to Asian family businesses and entrepreneurship.”
“We strongly believe in education and the value of quality research,” said Mr Sukanto Tanoto, Founder of Tanoto Foundation and Chairman of RGE Group. “2017 marks the 50th year of my entrepreneurial journey. It is my sincere wish that the Center will continue to do good work and help more family businesses in Asia build, protect, and preserve wealth, legacy and harmony over many generations.”
Led by its Founding Director Prof Roger King, the Tanoto Center aspires to become a leading research center in the understanding of the burgeoning Asian family business and entrepreneurship field, and bridge the knowledge gap among academics, practitioners and policymakers.
“It is our strong belief that learning from real-life cases shared by families is one of the most effective ways to understand the issues and complexities of family businesses,” said Prof King. He presented the trends and directions of the future of Chinese family businesses, discussing the significance of Chinese family businesses as a major contributor to the world economy, and how some divest from traditional industries to grow new ventures.
His talk was followed by an interactive panel discussion with Mr Richie Eu, Managing Director of Eu Yan Sang Trading (Hong Kong) Limited; Ms Nisa Leung, Managing Partner of Qiming Venture Partners; and Mr Kevin Wong, CEO of Origami Labs and General Manager of Kowloon Watch Company, moderated by Prof Winnie Peng, Associate Director of the Tanoto Center. Representing the young generation in the family, the three panel speakers shared their entrepreneurial experiences within or outside of their family businesses, and their perspectives about the future.
About Tanoto Foundation
Tanoto Foundation is a philanthropic organization that seeks to be a center of excellence in poverty alleviation through education, empowerment and the enhancement of the quality of lives.
Tracing its roots to 1981 when its founder Mr Sukanto Tanoto and his wife Mrs Tinah Bingei Tanoto planted a kindergarten and elementary school in rural Besitang, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia, Tanoto Foundation today has also expanded its activities internationally in Singapore, China, Hong Kong and USA.
To date, Tanoto Foundation has provided over 20,000 scholarships, built schools and educational facilities that produced 27,000 graduates, developed 60,000 hectares of Community Livelihood Plantations, and created more than 1,800 jobs in local communities through Small to Medium sized (SME) programmes.
About HKUST Tanoto Center for Asian Family Business and Entrepreneurship Studies
The Tanoto Center for Asian Family Business and Entrepreneurship Studies is a leading research center in the field of Asian family business and entrepreneurship studies. It aims to bridge the knowledge gap between academics and practitioners as well as policymakers in all of its programs and activities. Recognizing the multi-disciplinary nature of the field of family business and entrepreneurship, the Center collaborates with various departments at HKUST and institutions around the world to organize academic and industry symposiums and roundtable events, conduct and publish top-quality academic research and articles in leading journals and newspapers, provide both tailor-made and open-enrollment training programs, write and teach cases on Asian family businesses and entrepreneurship. In 2012, the Center was named after the donor as the “Tanoto Center for Asian Family Business and Entrepreneurship Studies”.
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