Profile of Dr. Edgar W.K. Cheng

Dr. Edgar Cheng is the Chairman of the World-Wide Investment Co. Ltd. and a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee.

He pursued his doctorate degree and medical career in the U.S. He was a clinical associate professor of medicine, and conducted medical practice and clinical research in America before returning to Hong Kong.

Dr. Cheng was a former Chairman of the University Grants Commission in Hong Kong, a former member of the Education Commission and former Chairman of the Council of The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

He was a former Chairman of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. In his other public service capacity, he served as the Chairman of the Council for Sustainable Development.

Dr. Cheng served as the Head of the Central Policy Unit of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region from 1999 to 2001. He also plays a prominent role in Hong Kong-China affairs.

A Citation for Honorary Fellow Dr. Edgar W.K. CHENG

Dr. Edgar W.K CHENG is currently the Chairman of the World-Wide Investment Company Limited. He has distinguished himself in a number of fields both in the United States and in Hong Kong in the past forty years. He is a renowned medical scholar and practitioner, an educator and also a prominent and visionary leader in business and financial sectors and in public service.

Dr. Cheng was born and raised in Hong Kong. He pursued undergraduate and post-graduate studies at the University of Notre Dame and the Medical College of Wisconsin, respectively, in the United States. Subsequent to his doctoral studies, Dr. Cheng pursued his medical academic and practice career in the United States. He was a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Cornell University Medical College. He also practiced medicine and conducted clinical research at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York until the end of 1987.

After returning to Hong Kong, Dr. Cheng's devotion to his profession was paralleled by his dedication to public service. First and foremost, he devoted a great deal of his time to the cause of education in Hong Kong. He held many high-level positions in the education arena. He was the former Chairman of the University Grants Commission, a former Member of the Education Commission and a former Member of the Board of Governors of the East-West Center in Honolulu. He was also the former Chairman of the Council of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). At present, he is a Senior Advisor to the CUHK Council. He also visited UIC in 2006, and gave us much encouragement, including a generous donation for our whole person education activities.

Dr. Cheng has also contributed significantly to the development of the financial sector in Hong Kong. He has provided leadership for innumerable local and international boards, committees and councils. Notably, he was the Chairman of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, the Vice President of the International Federation of Stock Exchanges, the Founding Chairman of the Hong Kong Securities Institute, the Chairman of the Steering Committee for the Establishment of the Financial Services Institute, a Member of the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research, a Member of the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Futures Exchange Ltd. and a Member of the Conference Board Global Advisory Council. In addition, Dr. Cheng was also the Vice-Chairman and Non-executive Director of Hang Seng Bank Ltd. and an Independent Non-executive Director of numerous large listed companies in Hong Kong and in Mainland China.

In his other public service, Dr. Cheng served as the Head of the Central Policy Unit of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region from 1999 to 2001. He was a Member of the Greater Pearl River Delta Business Council and a Member of the Commission on Strategic Development. He was the Chairman of the Council for Sustainable Development until March 2009. Currently, he is a Member of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission and the Hospital Governing Committee of the Prince of Wales Hospital.

Dr. Cheng also plays an active and prominent role in Hong Kong-China affairs. He was appointed by the Central Government as a Hong Kong Affairs Advisor (1991-1997), a Member of the Preparatory Committee and the Selection Committee for the formation of the First Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (1996-1997). He was also a Member of the 10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. At present, he is a Member of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Mr. Chairman, in recognition of Dr. Edgar Cheng's many and truly outstanding achievements as a business leader, a medical scholar, an educator, and his distinguished contributions to the public sectors in Hong Kong and China, and in appreciation of his support of this College, it is my privilege to present him to you for the award of an Honorary Fellowship.