Mrs Carrie Lam joined the Administrative Service of the Hong Kong Government in August 1980 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade A1 in September 2006. She became a Principal Official on July 1, 2007 when she was appointed Secretary for Development. She was appointed Chief Secretary for Administration on July 1, 2012.

Before assuming the post of the Chief Executive, Mrs Lam had served the public for more than 36 years in 20 public service positions including Director of Social Welfare, Permanent Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands (Planning and Lands), Director-General of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, Secretary for Development and Chief Secretary for Administration.

Mrs Lam was elected as the Fifth-Term Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on March 26, 2017, and was officially appointed to this position by the Central People’s Government on March 31, 2017 to assume office on July 1, 2017.

Mrs Lam is married and has two sons.

Dr Takeshi Kasai began his term as WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific on 1 February 2019, following his nomination by the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific and his appointment by the WHO Executive Board.

The public health career of Dr Kasai began nearly 30 years ago when he was assigned to a remote post on the northeast coast of Japan, providing health-care services for the elderly. His early experiences there impressed upon him the value of building strong health systems from the ground up. Dr Kasai received his medical degree (MD) from Keio University in 1990; a master's degree in public health from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in 1996; a diploma in tropical medicine and hygiene from the Royal College of Physicians in London in 1997; and a doctorate (PhD) in medicine from Iwate Medical University in 2012.

Dr Kasai has worked for WHO for more than 15 years, and at the time of his nomination was Director of Programme Management, the No. 2 position at the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific in Manila, Philippines. As a Technical Officer and later as the Director of the Division of Health Security at the Regional Office, he was instrumental in developing and implementing the Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases and Public Health Emergencies, which guides Member States in preparing for and responding to public health emergencies.

Dr Kasai also served as the WHO Representative in Viet Nam from 2012 to 2014, and in 2014 received the For the People’s Health Medal from the Government, the top honor bestowed upon those who have made significant contributions to public health.

Dr Kasai is from Japan. He is married and has three daughters.

Professor CHAN was appointed as Secretary for Food and Health on 1 July 2017. She was Under Secretary for Food and Health from 2012-2017 and participated in and responsible for policy formulation and promotion. Before joining the Government, Professor CHAN was a Professor in Nursing, Head of the School of Nursing and Director of Research at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). She was also an Assistant Dean of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of HKU.

Having trained in and practised general and paediatric nursing in Hong Kong and London, she read her Master of Education at the University of Manchester, Master of Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, and completed her doctoral studies at the HKU. Subsequently, she focused on teaching, research and administration in academia. Professor CHAN’s research is internationally recognised; she is awarded a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health (through distinction), Royal College of Physicians of United Kingdom (FFPH (RCP)(UK)), and is the first nurse in Hong Kong being awarded the Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN). Her paedagogy has been recognised by the award of the Faculty Teaching Medal in 2005 and the Outstanding Teaching Award in 2009, one of the highest honour for teaching achievements conferred by HKU.

Professor CHAN is one of the leading nurse scientists and her research specialises in public health, management of tobacco dependency and prevention of second hand smoke exposure in children, and proposes novel insights. Her team of investigators was one of the top funded researchers, and she published extensively in international journals on nursing, tobacco control, and public health. She consults widely nationally and internationally and has represented the University and the Food and Health Bureau in international meetings and invited by the World Health Organization to provide advice and leadership on their public health and tobacco control initiatives.

Philip Chen is Chairman of The Hong Kong Jockey Club. He is Non-Executive Director of Hang Lung Properties Limited. He is the immediate past Chief Executive Officer of Hang Lung Group and Hang Lung Properties.

Prior to joining Hang Lung in July 2010, he was Chairman of John Swire & Sons (China) Limited, Chief Executive of Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Dragon Airlines, Executive Director of Swire Pacific Limited and John Swire & Sons (Hong Kong) Limited.

Philip has been actively involved in a large number of public duties and academic activities/higher education in Hong Kong and overseas. He has also been appointed Professor of Practice in Management and Strategy, Faculty of Business and Economics at The University of Hong Kong, Professor of Practice (Hospitality and Tourism Strategies), School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Visiting Professor of Faculty of Economics at Sophia University, Tokyo.

Philip’s efforts earned him recognitions from the HKSAR Government, the French Government and various universities as well.

Mayor, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Vice-Chairman of the Alliance for Healthy Cities, China HK Chapter