Theme: Challenging Conformity

Staying in one’s comfort zone is relaxing; this is also the foremost reason why the majority of people are afraid of changes. Or perhaps, they are not afraid of changes, they are just afraid of the failure itself. In order to live a smoother life, the general public will usually follow their routines, go with the flow, and enjoy what they so-called “a dream life”.
As an old saying goes, “if you never try, you will never know”. Sometimes we just have to embrace the uncertainty of life, be slightly braver and try something new. You never know what to expect, yet often, it's the occasion where we truly identify our passion and purpose. So why not take the risk? We either learn some, or earn some.

AC2 3505
City University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 852
Hong Kong

Gordan Bedford

EHS & CSR Director + Risk Professional

Gordon Bedford is currently the Director for Mattel Inc. who gained extensive overseas working experience in Asia, Middle East, Europe and North America. He has passion in developing savvy program that aim to motivate and excite - Gordon fundamentally believes that work should be simple and free of the usual complexities that get in the way of great performance. Prior to taking up senior executive positions, Gordon was a British Army Officer. As part of the UK’s elite airborne forces, Gordon was a Fire Support Team Commander being attached to the United States Marine Corps during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. After the end of the war-fighting phase, Gordon took up the role of Intelligence Officer in the challenging Iran-Iraq border region. Prior to this, he served as a Platoon Commander in Northern Ireland.

Iverson Ng

Journalist + Blogger

Iverson Ng is a fresh graduate who majored in international journalism at the Hong Kong Baptist University, and is currently working as an intern at European Union Academic Programme (EUAP). Last year, he had an exchange semester in Denmark and travelled to 21 countries as a soul-searching journey. Through Ng’s venturesome student project, he reported the lives of students born in the generation of independence – in the aftermath of a revolution that aimed to overthrow a corrupt government. He has covered the solidarity of Dane County Board expressing humanitarian sentiments to aid Syrian asylum seekers escaping from terrorism; despite the strong objection from its government’s anti-refugee campaigns. With a variety of experience, Ng has been an intern reporter at The Standard (Hong Kong) newspaper since summer 2015 and has acted as a freelance photojournalist writing analytical news and updating social media.

Jamie Chiu

Clinical Psychologist + CEO (Lulio)

Dr. Jamie Chiu is dedicated to create a world where every teen grows up feeling awesome and happy about who they are. In 2016, Jamie was selected as one of Forbes Asia “30 Under 30” Social Entrepreneur and one of Hong Kong Tatler’s “Generation T” 100 most influential change-makers in the city. In her childhood, Jamie struggled with depression but never reached out for help because of stigma. Now as a psychologist, Jamie wants to make sure that no teen suffering from a mental illness feels ashamed. Jamie initiated “The Brightly Project” to bring together and equip change-makers to spread positivity and acceptance at their schools and create an environment which is free from stigma and judgement.

Jason Dembski

Founder of HKwalls + Design Guru

Arriving in Hong Kong 6 years ago, as an architect, designer and curator, Jason Dembski was troubled by the limited nature of the art scene in Hong Kong. Living in an underdeveloped and considerably commercialized setting, he was inspired to create HKWalls along with fellow artists, Maria Wong and Stan Wu. It is an annual weeklong festival which seeks to showcase street art within the busy concrete jungles of Hong Kong; coinciding with the city’s primary art fair, Art Basel. Using the walls of buildings as their personal canvasses, the metropolis itself becomes an new exhibition for its assembly of artists; granting exposure and recognition to both international and local talents. It also serves as a medium to express different statements regarding the life in Hong Kong, such as the extensive urbanisation of the city. Apart from being the co-founder of HKWalls, he is also a professor in Macau (University of Saint Joseph) and the director of his own portfolio.

Marco So

Fresh Graduate + Biotech Startup

Marco is a fresh graduate of CityU majoring in Biology. In early 2016, while he was a final year student, he founded Hands Life Science, a biotech start-up with a vision to improve the quality and affordability of omega-3 fatty acids. Earlier on in 2014, he and his team represented CityU in the “International Genetically Engineered Machine” competition held in Boston and won a gold medal. Based on the winning project, he has since dedicated his goal to improve human health through biotechnology. Up to now, his team has secured more than HK$1 million funding from different investors to commercialize the technology.

Suzanne So

Education Entrepreneur

Named one of the Women in Tech dominating Silicon Valley by Tech Cocktail, Suzanne So is a co-founder of Joy Sprouts, a multi-award winning educational app for children. She has devoted to help parents to understand the educational needs of young learners and facilitate them to grow in a smarter, more well-balanced, and more adaptive way. As the CEO, she led Joy Sprouts to win the TiE50, one of Silicon Valley’s startup awards in a contest competing against 1,100+ international companies. She has also served as the Brand and Licensing Manager of Angry Birds and Smurfs and Project Manager of McDonald for over 40 promotional campaigns (winning the ‘Best Marketing Campaign of the Year’).

Till Kraemer

Intercultural Educatior + Social Entreprise General Manager

Till Kraemer graduated from the Oxford University and completed a Master Degree program in Mathematics and Computer Science. Whilst there, he became the president of the Oxford University Scientific Society, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious undergraduate organizations. Upon graduation, he worked for various international companies in multiple countries, including Porsche in Singapore. Growing up in a small community in Germany, he used to be unaware of global issues. However, this completely changed during a trip to India where he had an opportunity to experience an entirely different culture. The journey sparked his curiosity and desire to explore. With true passion in education, he joined the Inter Cultural Education (ICE) and has become the ICE’s General Manager. ICE is a social enterprise, which seeks to promote global citizenship and intercultural understanding through information, exploration and communication.

Yun Wah Lam

Researcher and Associate Professor

Dr Lam is a researcher in the field of Biology, primarily studying dynamic cellular behaviour in live cells. Accredited with a prize of the Roche “Imagining the Future” Award, he has published a multitude of research papers, one of which has been cited more than 100 times and was featured in the Science Magazine in 2007. He earned his doctorate degree at the University of Hong Kong in 1997, studying under the tutelage of Dr Davina Opstelten’s lab. After receiving a Croucher Fellowship in 1998 at the University of Dundee in Scotland, he was fascinated by the structural design of mammalian cells with regards to its relationship with gene expression regulation. Today, he conducts quantitative mass spectrometry of proteins using modern cell imaging techniques and proteomics at the Department of Biology and Chemistry apart from being an assistant professor at CityU.