A Global Classroom for Global Leaders

Highlights from the Far East Module of the inaugural Oxford Global CEO Programme

This senior programme organised by the Oxford Institute of Digital Health, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, recently held the fourth session of its inaugural Oxford CEO Programme. With an introductory session in May 2025, with a special guest speech by the famed investor and Balliol alumnus Jim Rogers, the Programme ran a Launch Module in Beijing in July 2025 and then the first Oxford Module in September linked to major industry visits in the first of the mainland Europe sessions.

The fourth session, the Far East Module, took place in Hong Kong and Singapore between December 6-12, 2025. 52 delegates joined either Hong Kong or Singapore with most attending both modules

Hong Kong

On a very pleasant Hong Kong winter day, 43 delegates arrived for the first of our global hub module. Our residential base was at the uber trendy W Hotel in the booming West Kowloon. The 73 floors to the W are dwarfed by its next-door neighbour, the International Commerce Centre (ICC) at 108 floors the tallest building in Hong Kong. And, surrounded by other soaring new skyscrapers and overlooking one of the world’s busiest harbours, the iconic skyline of Hong Kong island opposite Kowloon remains with the majestic Peak dominating even the tallest skyscrapers.

Day 1 (Saturday, 6 December)

The module took place in the conference centre to the Law School at Hong Kong University, where the faculty buildings are built in steep rising terraces up the mountain. The revised programme started with a fascinating history of the legal structures of Hong Kong by Anthony Neoh, a renowned KC (barrister) and Chairman of the HK Securities and Futures Commission. Then came a well-received session on current issues for the law in relation to business from Prof Hualing Fu, the Dean of the Law School

The afternoon sessions started with an animated presentation on economic cycles and the interplay with historic periods of human history by Prof Ma Guangyuan, one of China’s most famous political economists. The final talk of the day covered predictions on the economic pressures and opportunities for 2026, by Dr Xing Ziqiang the chief economist/MD of Morgan Stanley Hong Kong. Fascinating insights and differences to population economic behaviours in the West and East.

A superb first day ended with a welcome dinner in the Ritz Carlton located in the ICC with an entertaining explanation by 5 delegates of what they do and why they joined the CEO Programme. We enjoyed a short welcome speech, despite his only just arriving from London, from the Right Honourable George Freeman Member of Parliament and UK Trade Envoy on his 3 careers to date.

Day 2 (Sunday, 7 December)

Sunday was spent at Hashkey one of the many burgeoning companies in FinTech seeking to ensure Hong Kong’s place as a giant in global financial services and just about to IPO as HK’s second digital currency platform. Although crypto-currencies are banned in mainland China, it was interesting to note the permissions granted crypto-companies to maintain leadership in the field and resolve issues before permitting access to the world’s second largest economy. We were treated in the first talk to a fascinating session from the Founder and Chairman of HashKey, Dr. Xiao Feng. He covered on the 3000 years old origins of accountancy to blockchain and stablecoins. Insightful sessions on the developmental and psychological aspects to crypto followed.

The afternoon highlighted the module’s Oxford speakers. A fascinating talk by George Freeman covered the UK’s strategic focus on the new tech sciences concluding with the opportunities and challenges of the tech revolution and the need for regulation. Finally, after 2 days of focus on how humankind was so rapidly evolving its technological development, a tour de force keynote from Professor Tim Coulson on the very origins of the universe and the possible inevitability of life.

The long day closed with a slow boat cruise around the harbour where we welcomed Prof Dennis Lo the President of Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHC). It was a special privilege for us to meet one of the world’s pre-eminent molecular biologists. Having won a Lasker Prize for Medicine for his team’s work in showing foetal DNA in maternal blood circulation, he developed the world’s first non-invasive pre-natal tests for severe foetal gene disorders. Having spent 10 years at Oxford, he is also the external on the current recruitment process to appoint the Oxford Regius Professor of Medicine. We had met a leading contender for a future Nobel Prize in Medicine.

Day 3 (Monday, 8 December)

The morning rush hour transported us to CyberPort, an interesting evolution of a science park for start-ups. The session was presented by CyberPort Chairman Simon Chan and his senior team led by the Group CEO Dr Rocky Cheng. CyberPort is a purpose-built community of tech and incubator space with digitisation built in from inception. The relatively standard infrastructure offer of physical space is supplemented in CyberPort by investment in emerging talent with competitive grants and 2 years rent-free space enabling accelerated start-up and then further competitive opportunities for capital funding for scale up has attracted nearly $5 billion of venture funding.

After an excellent lunch at the surprisingly upmarket restaurant onsite we moved to for our final Hong Kong visit to the magnificent headquarters of Morgan Stanley, one of the most successful banking and investment companies in Asia. The head for Asia and his team presented sessions on the evolution and acceleration of IPOs in Asia and especially from China. China intends encouraging IPOs seeking mainly Chinese investment to list on the Shanghai exchange with those seeking international investment on the Hong Kong exchange.   

Our final Hong Kong dinner was at the Green Tea restaurant one of a large international chain of upmarket trendy restaurants co-owned by one of our programme delegates. A splendidly convivial evening ensued thanks to our surprisingly gracious hostess.

Singapore

Day 4 (Tuesday, 9 December) saw us transfer to Singapore and check in at the luxury Ritz Carlton, overlooking the Marina.

Day 5 (Wednesday, 10 December)

Based at the NUSS Graduate Centre of the National University of Singapore. The format for our Singapore academic sessions were 2 hours sessions with a senior speaker with much audience interaction until breaks.

09:00 - 09:30: Opening Keynote on “Quantum Biology – the new science horizon” Speaker: George Freeman (British Member of Parliament). Though originating 100 years ago, Quantum Biology is at the start of an explosion of interest and investment.  He presented the potential applications in energy, health and space. The latter is an extreme environment to test the boundaries of human physiology.

09:30 - 12:30: Expert Course: "International Economic Trends Outlook and Southeast Asia's Development Prospects." Speaker: Professor Yang Jianwei. The session covered the speaker’s observations as a renowned economist on the current US/China trade tensions and expanded to a comprehensive review of many of the major economies in the ASEAN region.

14:00 - 17:30 UBS Banking Visit: The UBS Group, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, it is one of the world's largest wealth management institutions. Its Singapore office serves as the core hub for the Asia-Pacific region, with approximately 3,000 employees providing private banking, asset management and investment banking services. UBS manages assets totaling over 4 trillion US dollars and has long led the global wealth management, sustainable finance and ESG investment fields. With a solid international presence, UBS Singapore acts as a vital bridge connecting European capital with emerging markets in Asia. Speakers: Nicholas Woo, Head of North Asia Region, Executive Director, Welcoming Speech; Valerie Lau, Head of the Investment Advisory Department; Carlene See, Head of the Trust Department; Adeline Chiam, Family Office; Andrew Zhong, Head of the Investment Banking Department, Executive Director; followed by Q&A Session

16:00 - 17:45 Closing Keynotes by Yang Lin, Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Theme Presentation: "Global Policies, Strategic Planning and Intergovernmental Processes within the United Nations System.” The keynote ended with several worked case histories by Dr Jing Yu on UN inert-governmental; initiatives across Asia, which stimulated a lot of debate

Dinner was at the famous Zhenbao Crab restaurant. A lively evening emerged after a fascinating pre-dinner talk by Tim Coulson on ‘Predators’. Discussing the key evolutionary pressures created by predation that led to the emergence of Homo Sapiens, the talk contained a host of interesting facts and observations. At the end of dinner we had a very entertaining short tutorial on debating for the last day’s Oxford Debate session, with 3 tips from each of George Freeman and Tim Coulson.

Day 6 (Thursday, 11 December)

09:00 - 10:30 Expert Session:

Mr. Seng Han Thong | Senior Singaporean Politician, Former President of Temasek Public Affairs
Presentation Topic: "Temasek's Strategic Management, Investment Strategies and Governance Philosophy" 

10:30 - 12:00: Expert Session:

Liu Weihan | Technology Entrepreneur Investor, Founder of Eklipse.gg & Granite Asia
Presentation Topic: "Decoding the Southeast Asian Technology Ecosystem" 

14.00-18.30: Company visits: 

Google Presentation: "Google's Culture and AI Trends and Applications" Google Cloud Director and Lead of Development Team of Gemini 3 in Singapore
Cao Ba Ji Group (TPC) in Singapore. Mr. Loh Niap Juan | Chief Corporate Officer | and Tan Ya Xing, Head of Sustainability of TPC, Sharing, exchange and Q&A
Zheng Di | Singapore Web3.0 Expert: Share topic: "Regulatory Environment and Market Dynamics of Singapore's Web3.0" 

Dinner Restaurant | Green Tea Restaurant, Suntec City store
Address: 3 Temasek Blvd, #01-384 (Atrium Convention Centre)

Day 7 (Friday, 12 December)

09:30-11:30 Oxford Debate

A triumph of a debating session! We modified the usual debate format to allow more people to speak on the motion that ‘This House believes that the Singapore economic system is better than the Hong Kong system. The result was most entertaining with all the tips suggested by George Freeman and Tim Coulson on the night before used to great effect. The delgates enjoyed the session so much, this will be a feature on all future modules.

14:00-17:00 Prof Wei Wu, Overseas Development of Chinese Enterprises

A fascinating session on the geo-politics and economic pressures facing global economies and predictions for the next few years stimulated a lot of debate from the delegates.

17:30-20:30 Jim Rogers, Farewell Dinner

As we approach the festive season and end of 2025 in the UK, all of those involved in the Oxford Global CEO Programme wish the very best for the forthcoming Spring Festival.

Main Speaker Biographies

 Anthony Neoh, KC, SC, who continues to be the Head of Chambers, began practice at the Bar in 1980 after a distinguished career in the Hong Kong Civil Service. He was a senior member of the Management of the ICAC during its formative years.  In 1984, he also qualified for the California Bar.  He took silk in 1990.  In 1991, he was a Deputy Judge of the High Court. After 5 years in silk, he returned to full-time public service in 1995 as Chairman of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission until 1998 when he was personally invited by the then Premier Zhu Rongji to be the Chief Advisor of the China Securities Regulatory Commission where he helped build the foundations of the Chinese Mainland Capital Markets. He returned to practice in the Hong Kong Courts in 2003, acting as Leading Counsel in a wide range of public and private law cases.  Mr. Neoh is also a well-known and active international commercial arbitrator and an internationally recognized expert in financial regulation and risk management.

Professor Fu Hualing.

The Dean of the Faculty of Law at The University of Hong Kong . He holds a Warren Chan Professorship in Human Rights and Responsibilities and has a strong focus on the rise of human rights lawyering in China and its implications for political and legal reform. Professor Fu's research also includes the constitutional status of Hong Kong and the politics of anti-corruption enforcement. He has published widely in various books and journals and co-edited several significant studies. 

Professor Guangyuan Ma is a Professor of Economics at Renmin University, Prof. Ma Guangyuan is Tenured Professor and Doctoral Supervisor of the Department of Economics at the School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University. Research Fellow at National Center for Economic Research, Think Tank Center and Data Center at Tsinghua University. Coordinator of the Bachelor in Economics Program. Selected as Young Changjiang Scholar by the Ministry of Education in 2018. Graduated from the Department of World Economics, Fudan University in 2002, with Bachelor in Economics (Outstanding University Graduate in Shanghai). PhD in Economics from the University of California, Davis, 2009. Associate Editor of Journal of Comparative Economics and China Economic Review. Long serve as Consultant to the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs. His research interest covers international trade and economic development. Published papers in leading journals at home and abroad, including Economic Research, Economics Quarterly, Financial Research, The Economic Journal, Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of International Economics and Journal of Comparative Economics.

George Freeman MP was Minister of State in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology between 7 February 2023 and 13 November 2023. George was previously Minister of State in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from 26 October 2022 to 7 February 2023, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from 17 September 2021 to 7 July 2022, a Minister of State at the Department for Transport from 26 July 2019 to 13 February 2020, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Life Sciences at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department of Health from July 2014 until July 2016. He also served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of State for Climate Change from 2010 to 2011. He was appointed government adviser on Life Sciences in July 2011, co-ordinating the government’s Life Science and Innovation, Health and Wealth Strategies (2011), and the Agri-Tech Industrial Strategy (2013). He was appointed the Prime Minister’s UK Trade Envoy in 2013. He was elected Conservative MP for Mid Norfolk in 2010. George served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of State for Climate Change from 2010 to 2011. He was appointed government adviser on Life Sciences in July 2011, working closely with the Department of Health and coordinating the Government’s Life Science and Innovation, Health and Wealth Strategies (2011), and the Agri-Tech Industrial Strategy (2013). He was then appointed to the post of Prime Minister’s UK Trade Envoy in 2013. Before being elected to Parliament, George had a 15 year career across the life sciences sector. In particular, he worked with hospitals, clinical researchers, patient groups, biomedical research companies - to pioneer novel healthcare innovations.

Professor Tim Coulson is a biologist whose research focuses on how environmental change impacts the ecology and evolutionary biology of animals. He is the current Professor of Zoology and a Professorial Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford at the University of Oxford. He held a series of positions becoming Professor of Population Biology at Imperial College London in 2007. He was appointed Professor of Zoology at the University of Oxford and professorial fellow of Jesus College Oxford in 2013. He was head of Department of Zoology, University of Oxford between 2018 and 2021 and joint head of Department of Biology, University of Oxford along with Mark Fricker from October 2022 to October 2024. Coulson has been chief editor of Journal of Animal Ecology and Ecology Letters, a member of council of the University of Oxford,^[5] and is currently Vice President (membership) of the British Ecological Society. Coulson’s book The Universal History of Us was published on 13 June 2024 by Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin Books. The paperback version was published by the same publisher in May 2025 with the title A Little History of Everything . It was published in the United States on 6 July 2024 as The Science of Why We Exist by Pegasus Books. Coulson was the subject of an episode of The Life Scientific, broadcast by BBC Radio Four on 27 May 2025.

Dr. Xiao Feng is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, HashKey Group. As the Group CEO and Chairman of the Board, Dr. Xiao oversees and leads the business activities and strategic direction of the HashKey Group. Dr. Xiao currently serves as Vice Chairman of China Wanxiang Group and Chairman of Shanghai Wanxiang Blockchain. He was previously the Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of Bosera Asset Management, one of the earliest and largest asset management companies in Mainland China. He has a Ph.D. in economics from Nankai University. With more than 25 years of experience in the securities and asset management industry, Dr. Xiao had a profound impact on the development of funds and the blockchain industry.

Professor Yang Jianwei is a renowned scholar in Singapore and an economics professor. He is also an advisor to the China region of Singapore's International Development Bureau. Professor Yang has published several books in Singapore, including "Interpreting Singapore", "The Economic Transformation Path of Singapore", "Mandatory Course for Investing in China", "Learning Management from Reading", and "Investing in China - Investing in China".

Yang Lin is currently the Deputy Executive Secretary (Programme) of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), responsible for strategic planning and project implementation in areas such as regional development, sustainable development, green finance, social development, and statistics. She plays a core role in coordinating ESCAP's work and promoting policy dialogue between the Commission and the United Nations system and member states, and is committed to promoting green transformation, social inclusion, and regional integration in the Asia-Pacific region. Ms. Yang Lin has delivered keynote speeches at international conferences such as the Green Finance Forum, the Boao Forum for Asia, and the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), emphasizing people-centered development, green transformation, and strengthening regional cooperation. She is recognized as an important driver of sustainable development strategies, gender equality, and green economy policies in the Asia-Pacific region.

Dr. Jing Yu currently serves as Deputy Chief of the Bangkok Programme Office, which ispart of the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP). With over 25 years of professional experience in urban development, housing, and strategic planning, she has established a strong reputation in the field. Dr. Yu holds a Ph.D. in Cartography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and completed her postdoctoral research in Urban Planningat Tongji University. Her academic background also includes a Master’s in Economics with specialization in Real State from the Capital University of Economics and Business, and a Bachelor of Arts from Beihang University. Since joining the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MoHURD) in 2003, Dr. Yu has held key leadership roles. These include serving as the Director-General of the Information Center and Vice Director-General of the Urban and Rural Planning Management Center. Her contributions have been pivotal in advancing China’s_ urban planning strategies and promoting sustainable development. Dr. Yu has led major national projects, including China’s first national housing census and initiatives utilizing high-resolution remote sensing for urban water quality management. She has also been instrumental in fostering international collaborations, notably with UN-Habitat, to develop eco-friendly solutions for forcibly displaced populations. Her leadership has been recognized with numerous accolades, including the prestigious National March 8th Red Flag Pacesetter Award by the All-China Women’s Federation highlighting her exemplary role as a female leader. Dr. Yu is a recipient of the State Council Special Government Allowance, has published several professional books, and authored over 30 academic papers. Having previously served as the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to UN-Habitat in Kenya, Dr. Jing Yu’s ongoing commitment to sustainable, resilient urban development continues to guide national and international efforts in fostering inclusive, future-ready communities.

Seng Han Thong is a former Member of Parliament of Singapore, Former President of Public Affairs of Temasek, Visiting Professor at National University of Singapore. Minister Cheng once served as the deputy editor of the Chinese-language newspaper "Lianhe Zaobao", the assistant secretary-general of the Singapore National Trade Union Council, the executive secretary of the Singapore Transport Workers' Union and the president of the National Trade Union Council's Media Cooperative. He also held positions as a director of the Public Utilities Board, the Land Transport Authority and the Information Communications Media Development Authority. Book works: "Singapore Chose Lee Kuan Yew" 

Weihan Liew is a serial tech entrepreneur. Founder of Eklipse.gg; Venture Partner of Granite Asia (formerly GGV Capital Asia). Liu Weihan is based in Singapore and is an operator with both entrepreneurial and investment experience. He has long been helping global technology companies accelerate their growth in Southeast Asia. He founded Eklipse.gg (a generative AI video platform serving over 100,000 creators) and earlier founded BaBe ("Read the News") Indonesia, using machine learning to restructure information distribution, which was later acquired by ByteDance. As a venture capital partner at Granite Asia (managing approximately $5 billion in assets), he provides enterprises with practical strategies for entering and expanding in Southeast Asia: localization, compliance, channel/ecosystem partners, as well as non-organic paths such as JV/mergers and acquisitions. Previously, he worked in the Nokia Growth Fund (China) in investment and was responsible for mobile products at Microsoft. With both "from 0 to 1" entrepreneurial practice and "from 1 to N" cross-border mergers and acquisitions and post-investment experience, he is a pragmatic guide for entering markets in Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, etc. He holds an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Monash University.

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