CanChamHK's Financial Services Committee Presents: 

Sports in Hong Kong:
Opportunities and Challenges

From corporate sponsorship and funding to investment opportunities and to promoting grassroots involvement in sport.

Your chance to hear it from the leading sports associations in Hong Kong

About the Event:

The growth of spending on the sports industry in Hong Kong (and China) has skyrocketed in recent years. With rising disposable incomes, leisure spending and government support, sports is an attractive focus area which is of interest to corporate sponsors, investors and, at the grassroots level, participants.

In this prestigious discussion CanChamHK’s Financial Services Committee is delighted to present a powerful panel, Mr. Gary Wong, Founder & Board Member of InspiringHK Sports Foundation, Mr. Mark Sutcliffe, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Football Association, Robbie McRobbie, CEO of Hong Kong Rugby Union, Gregory Smyth, Co-Founder and Chairman of The China Hockey Group and Christopher Lai, CEO of Hong Kong Tennis Association. The five panelists and moderator will discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with managing, financing and developing sports associations in Hong Kong, and future trends.

About the Speakers

Christopher Lai
CEO, Hong Kong Tennis Association

Christopher Lai is the Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Tennis Association, and has been the Tournament Director of the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open since 2015.
 
Mr Lai was Hong Kong’s top junior player, and had represented Hong Kong to Junior Wimbledon and the World University Games. Mr Lai was a member of University of Toronto Varsity Tennis Team, and graduated from Trinity College in 1992. He was an accountant by training at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and subsequently pursued a career in the private equity industry after completing an MBA from the Hong Kong University of Science Technology. He worked for Lombard Investments and Macquarie Real Estate Asia. He was a member of the Hong Kong Davis Cup Team in 1998, and was the Davis Cup captain in 2013 and 2014. Mr Lai joined the Hong Kong Tennis Association as the CEO in May 2014.

Robbie McRobbie
CEO, Hong Kong Rugby Union

Having joined the Union in 2003, Robbie McRobbie is responsible for the Commercial Department, Operations Department and the Community Foundation.
Prior to the Union, he spent 11 years in the Hong Kong Police Force, where he served in a number of roles including Police Tactical Unit Instructor, Assistant Manager of the Police Officers' Club and presenter of the "Police Report" TV show.

He has a MA (Oxon) and completed a PGC in Sports & Recreation Management at HKU Space in 2001.

He represented Hong Kong at "A" level at both 15s and 7s and is a two-time winner of the Police RFC "Raz Erasmus Award".

He is Director of local charity, Operation Breakthrough, which uses sport as a medium to help at-risk local youngsters.

Gregory Smyth
Co-Founder and Chairman, The China Hockey Group

Gregory Smyth is the Co-Founder and Chairman of the China Hockey Group, which includes the China Ice Hockey League (CIHL), the Junior Tigers and the South China Ice Hockey League (SCIHL). The CHG is also the exclusive Hong Kong distributor for Bauer Hockey equipment.

The CIHL is Hong Kong’s first elite, full-contact ice hockey league and is modelled on the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). Gregory also co-owns a BCHL team, the Coquitlam Express. The Junior Tigers youth ice hockey club was established to provide kids aged 4-14 with strong and positive ice hockey experiences. Between the CIHL, the community-focused SCIHL and the Junior Tigers, the CHG has more than 400 players in its leagues and programmes.
The CHG has brought a new level of ice hockey to Hong Kong and has played a significant role in the development of the game, specifically with its pioneering community initiatives, including the Adopt a School, the CIHL Intern and the Big Assist Programmes.

Gregory is the founder and CEO of Inetasia, a leading Asian based Internet marketing and data analytics consultancy. He has also been involved with several Internet start-ups, including AsiaXPAT.com. Gregory graduated from the University of Western Ontario and has a MBA from Dalhousie University. He played varsity hockey for both the Western Mustangs and the Dalhousie Tigers.

Mark Sutcliffe
Chief Executive - Hong Kong Football Association

Mark has a first degree and post-graduate diploma (Loughborough University), both in sports and leisure management. He started his career as a Physical Education teacher followed by 25 years working in the UK sports and leisure industry firstly in public sector sports and leisure management and later as owner and Chairman of Strategic Leisure Limited, (one of the UK’s foremost sports consultancies).

In 2009 Mark was appointed by the HK SAR Government to prepare the Football Development Strategy ‘Dare to Dream’ and in 2011 was the principal author of ‘Project Phoenix’, the plan to transform football in Hong Kong. In 2012 he moved to Hong Kong to become the CEO of the HKFA and to take responsibility for the implementation of the new strategy.

Mark has a passion for sport and has coaching qualifications in five sports. In his younger days he was competitive in swimming, football, cricket and squash but in recent times his energies have been channelled into other activities such as golf and outdoor pursuits. Mark was a crew member in the 2005/06 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and he has climbed mountains in the UK, the Alps and Himalayas. He is a PADI Advanced diver.

Gary Wong
Founder & Board Member, InspiringHK Sports Foundation

Gary Wong Chi-him is Founder of InspiringHK Sports Foundation, a charity based in Hong Kong aiming at empowering young people through long-term high quality sports training, learning experience programmes and advocacy.

Gary is also Director of Public Affairs (APAC) at GLG, the world's largest membership for professional learning, responsible for regional communication, media relations, government affairs and thoughtful leadership. Prior to GLG, he had spent 7 years at Yip’s Chemical, and his most recent positions included Deputy Head of Sales in China and Assistant to Executive Chairman.

Active in public service, Gary is a Co-convenor of the Path of Democracy think tank, a radio commentator at RTHK, a columnist in local English and Chinese newspapers, and a Member of Sir David Trench Fund Committee of Home Affairs Bureau, HKSAR Government.

Gary graduated from the University of Hong Kong in 2006 with a BA majoring in Translation and then obtained an LLB from the University of London. He was a British Chevening Scholar in 2012-2013 and received a Master of Studies (MSt) in Diplomatic Studies at the University of Oxford.

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