Thursday, October 9, 2008 | 12:00 AM EDT - 12:00 AM EDT
U.S. Council for International Business |, New York, NY
The U.S. Council for International Business (USCIB) sponsored a public program featuring Victor Fung, chairman of the Li & Fung Group in Hong Kong and a long-time friend of the National Committee. USCIB asked the National Committee and the Committee of 100 to join them on this program.
Mr. Fung offered his views on the multilateral trading system from the Asia/Pacific perspective. In his capacity as the new chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), he also discussed ways to engage Asia in international forums, especially in light of the current economic environment.
Speaker’s Bio
Victor K. Fung became the Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce on 1 July 2008. He is Chairman of the Li & Fung Group of companies, with major subsidiaries in trading, distribution and retailing, including publicly-listed Li & Fung Limited, Integrated Distribution Services Group Limited, and Convenience Retail Asia.
He is also Chairman of the Greater Pearl River Delta Business Council, the Hong Kong University Council, and the Hong Kong-Japan Business Co-operation Committee.
Mr Fung holds a number of civic and professional appointments. He is a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the Hong Kong Government Commission on Strategic Development, and head of a focus group for the Economic Summit on China’s 11th Five-Year Plan and the Development of Hong Kong, organized by the Hong Kong government.
Mr Fung has written and spoken widely on international trade matters and is a strong advocate of the multilateral trading system. He has served as Chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, as the Hong Kong representative on the APEC Business Advisory Council, and on the Informal Business Advisory Body to the World Trade Organization. He has also served as Chairman of the Hong Kong Airport Authority.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Mr Fung holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a doctorate in business economics from Harvard University. He was a professor at the Harvard Business School for four years before returning to Hong Kong in 1976.