The undersecretary and political assistant of the Innovation and Technology Bureau have been appointed, dashing rumours of a candidates being chosen from the police force. Dr David Chung Wai-keung and Sandra Leung Shuk-bo were recommended by IT minister Nicholas Yang Wei-hsiung to be his undersecretary and political assistant respectively. Chung will assume office on March 1, and Leung on February 11.
It had been rumoured, since last August, that Jolly Wong Chun-kau, Chief Telecom Engineer of the police force, would be appointed as the undersecretary. Wong was appointed as a member of the Advisory Committee on Innovation and Technology in April last year. Other rumoured choices were lawmaker Elizabeth Quat and business tycoon Lau Ming-wai.
Chung will be paid between HK$193,775 and $223,585; Leung will be paid between HK$104,340 and $163,960.
Yang said at a press conference that Chung and Leung are capable people, and he was happy they chose to leave their current positions to join the government under the challenging circumstances in society.
He said that he hoped to work with them to create a better IT environment for Hong Kong and nurture young entrepreneurs. He did not disclose the details of how they would work with each other, but urged the public to observe the work done by the Bureau in the future.
‘China Top 5 CIO’
Chung, 50, has over 28 years of experience in information technology strategic management and entrepreneurship development.
Before joining the government, he worked as Chief Technology Officer at Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, responsible for taking forward Cyberport’s core mission on IT infrastructure, industry collaboration and incubation platforms for IT entrepreneurs.
The government press release also mentioned that Chung was a winner of the “China Top 5 CIO Award” in 2013.
Leung, 43, was employed by the Our Hong Kong Foundation founded by former Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, before joining the government. She provided services related to IT infrastructure development, social media platforms and digital content creation and maintenance at the foundation.
The appointments came two months after Yang was appointed to be Secretary for Innovation and Technology in November last year.
