Co-create happiness for sustainable business!
About CHOA
Celebrate our 3rd Anniversary
About CHOA
“Co-create
happiness
for sustainable business!”
The Chief Happiness Officer Association Limited (CHOA) is a non-profit organization founded in 2021, CHOA has invited over 20 distinguished leaders from the business, industry and education sections to serve as advisors.
The 2025 UN World Happiness Report, Hong Kong’s ranking has continued to decline to 88th this year. Meanwhile, a 2022 Forbes study found that happy employees are up to 20% more productive than unhappy ones.
CHOA’s initiatives are rooted in the belief that happiness and sustainability are intrinsically linked, and their efforts have yielded significant positive impacts across multiple dimensions. The Chief Happiness Officer Association (CHOA) aims at fostering workplace culture and sustainability within communities, organizations, and society at large.
OUR VISION
CHOA aims to build a sustainable corporate culture blueprint for Hong Kong, fostering collaboration to create a healthy, happy workplace and drive long-term corporate and city prosperity.
Our Mission
- Advocating for a corporate culture that nurtures people, profits, and purpose for sustainable growth
- Promoting psychological wellness as key to workplace happiness
- Encouraging businesses to prioritize employee physical and mental health with clear objectives and communication
- Leveraging technology to enhance workplace culture, benefiting the digital generation
- Fostering active knowledge sharing among members and the community for continuous improvement.
What We Care
To rebuild the spirit of Hong Kong by enhancing workplace culture, which is crucial for the city’s sustainable future. Amidst pandemic and social challenges, CHOA has become a mission-driven organization focused on fostering a positive work environment that drives economic resilience. We align with the Hong Kong government’s emphasis on talent as key to economic growth, believing that revitalizing workplace happiness is essential.
CHOA has organized more than 60 initiatives in collaboration with the business, education and social welfare sector in just three years. These initiatives include the CHO Appreciation Award, CHO Review and the Happy School Recognition Program. To date, CHOA has served over 60,000 individuals.
Our Founders
MS. Mary Suen
Founder and Executive Chairman of the Chief Happiness Officer Association
Mary Suen is the Founder and Executive Chairman of the CHO Association. Mary has extensive experience in talent management; she believes that invisible leaders will be the future leadership trend by empowering employees to unleash their talents and being self-motivated in working towards the company’s goal, such that organizations can overcome business challenges in the highly competitive market.
She is passionate about helping individuals, organizations, and communities to learn and grow. With her experiences, she can influence and inspire creative efforts. She is currently devoted to advocating the Chief Happiness Officer Movement in Hong Kong.
Mary joined Hong Kong CHO Limited as a co-founder in 2021 prior to setting up CHOA. Before devoting her time to Hong Kong CHO Limited, Mary was the Senior Director of Corporate Culture & Talent Development at Stan Group (Holdings) Limited. She cultivates people to become passionate and self-driven talents through cultural transformation.
Mary believes that Employee happiness is one of the vital business strategies, and pleasure in the workplace has become a valid concern for both employees and management alike. She aspires to reach the goal by applying a series of values or principles to each interaction with the employee.
She communicates effectively, conveys a unified vision and mission, and promotes a happy environment in the organization.
These two years have been very challenging. It is uneasy to talk about happiness. The world is constantly changing. We hope the changes can create a new and happier situation for future generations. The establishment of the Chief Happiness Officer Association platform implies innovative methods in the business operation model, with "design happiness" as the value, allowing "people" to release happiness.
Having a happy mindset encourages us to embrace new ideas, appreciate things from different angles, broaden our horizons, and be open to unlimited business opportunities. I am very pleased to see a number of like-minded strategic partners who care about society together while building the "Happy Journey" platform; ultimately everyone can become their own "Chief Happiness Officer".
Honorary Chairman（2021-2024）
Mr. Eddie Ng, GBS, JP
Former Secretary
Education of HKSAR (2012-2017)
Mr. Eddie Ng, GBS, JP, former Secretary for Education of HKSAR (2012-2017), is Honorary Advisor of the GBA Economic and Trade Association, Honorary Chancellor of the Social Enterprises Research Academy, and President of the International Institute of Management.
As an expert in human resources management globally, he used to work as senior HR professionals in corporations like Motorola, Citibank, AT&T, Lucent Technologies, Jardine Fleming Holdings, JPMorgan Chase and Macquarie Securities Asia.
Professionally he was former President of the World Federation of Personnel Management Associations, Asia Pacific Federation of HRM, and HK Institute of Human Resources Management.
Academically he used to be visiting professors in MBA programs for local universities, as well as HRM programs in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Asean countries. Currently Eddie is actively involving in providing advisory services to some businesses, cultural and education activities like parenting, arts and STEAM programs locally and in GBA cities.
Honorary Advisors (2026-2027)
Ms. june leung (Chairperson)
Chairperson
Beacon Group
Ms June Leung is the founder and chairperson of Beacon Group, which is a member of BEXCELLENT Group Holdings Limited (Stock code: 1775). Academically, she holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree granted by the University of Hong Kong and a Doctorate of Business Administration conferred by European University. Probably owing to her humble origins, Ms Leung attaches great importance to the opportunities for children of the general public to receive quality education. She founded the “Uplift Educational Charity Foundation”, a non-profit charity institution, which aims to facilitate universal and fair education. By organizing different activities and providing financial assistance, it provides motivation for the youth of Hong Kong and stimulates their learning ability, creativity and positive thinking. To that end, she has joined a number of associations and taken up some posts in recent years. These associations and posts include being a member of the Board of Directors of Plan International Hong Kong Limited, Vice President of Merchants Support For Rehabilitated Offenders Committee Limited and Honorary President of Hong Kong Ladies Dynamic Association.
Dr. Buston Chu (Vice-chairperson)
Founder
Service Cybernetics Consulting Limited
Buston is recognized as a passionate advocate of customer service excellence in Hong Kong evidenced by his active engagement and continuous efforts in advancing service design, delivery management and service leadership to meet the new generation customer demand across industries. Dedicated to the community, he serves as Honorary Advisor (Former Chairman) of Hong Kong Association for Customer Service Excellence, and members of numerous advisory committees of HKSAR government and authorities. Besides business consulting and executive training, Buston is passionate about tertiary education. He is an Adjunct Professor, teaching services marketing, brand management in universities including HKU, PolyU and Baptist University.
Ms. May Lau
Director of Social Impact
Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited
May Lau is currently the Director of Social Impact at Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group, in the lead of the social impact department under the Vice Chairman Office overseeing the strategy and impact programs globally. May is in charge to steer all the donations, sponsorship and partnership of the group for community charity and measure the social impact for reporting to business stakeholders.
Trained as a social worker in Hong Kong and equipped with skills and experience in both the commercial and philanthropy sector. Joined Lee Kum Kee as a Culinary Artist in the global marketing department in 2006 then she was transferred to Lee Kum Kee Family Foundation and started her journey in philanthropy. The critical job duty of the role is to develop a suitable strategy according to the board’s direction and turn it into actionable items.
May Lau is currently a Doctor of Public Administration candidate and has completed the Master of Social Science (Non-profit Management) at the University of Hong Kong with a distinction qualification
Dr. Susanna Chui
Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, Leicester Castle Business School
De Montfort University
Susanna teaches and conducts research in areas related to sustainability, entrepreneurship, leadership and organisational behaviour at Leicester Castle Business School of De Montfort University in the United Kingdom. As the Chief Research Officer of the Chief Happiness Officer Award Steering Committee, she is committed to providing analysis of the award survey annually to participating organisations.
Her research interests include leadership and identity, social entrepreneurship, work selves and social impact measurement. She has published in major journals including Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Journal of Organizational Behavior and Journal of World Development. She is now steering three major research projects including inclusive innovation, happiness at workplace and leadership development of non-prototypical leaders.
Susanna has over 13 years of experience serving on government committees; working with social enterprises and non-government organisations on research and training; and serving on advisory boards for social enterprises and non-government organisations.
Ms. Cora Chu
Board Director
Dialogue In The Dark (HK) Foundation Limited
Cora has extensive sales & marketing management experience in the telecommunication industry for local and global markets. She was inspired to pursue her second career at Dialogue In the Dark in 2013 and took up the CEO role since 2015 with key focus on leading the business development in corporate and education sectors, plus the development of empowerment programs to nurture and showcase the talents of People of Differences (PoDs). She stepped down from the CEO role and joined as Board Director in 2023 to continue her support for DIDF.
Cora is committed in engaging PoDs to create social impact by empowering more PoDs to live out their life with respect and dignity at the same time promoting social inclusion, tolerance, respect and appreciation of individual differences.
Prior to joining Dialogue in the Dark, Cora was the Director of Marketing for CSL leading the mobile corporate sales & marketing team. Previous to this, she was the Vice President of PCCW Global leading a global marketing & communications team.
Mr. Ian Choy
Executive Director – People and Culture, Corporate Communications and Administration
Gammon Construction Limited.
Ian is the Executive Director of People and Culture at Gammon Construction Limited. With over 20 years of experience in both strategic and operational Human Resources, he has extensive expertise in people management, transformation, and complex workforce management. Prior to joining Gammon, he served as the Chief People Officer at McDonald’s in Hong Kong for 10 years. Earlier in his career, Ian worked with Jardines in the property management and restaurant businesses.
Ian actively supports the wider community in Hong Kong through his participation in various professional associations and government advisory boards. Ian holds two master’s degrees which include an MBA and Property Valuation and Law. He is also the Vice President of Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management, the People Management Committee Member of The Hong Kong Management Association, and members of various Education Bureau committees.
Mr. Robert Ip
Chairman
Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce – Industry and Technology Committee
Robert joined Minolta (HK) Limited in 1990. In the last some thirty years, he rose from Sales Executive to became the first Chinese Managing Director of Konica Minolta Business Solutions (HK) Ltd (KMHK) in 2016 due to his unparalleled business acumen, outstanding management capabilities and visionary leadership skills.
Robert has successfully transformed KMHK into a business solutions expert, providing total solutions for helping customers enhance their efficiency and productivity. In 2014, he pioneered in establishing the first social enterprise operated by an MNC in Hong Kong namely the “i-Transform Station”, which employs hidden youth and helps them integrate into the society.
Robert obtained an MBA Degree from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and a Master of Science Degree in Information Systems from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Robert is a columnist of Hong Kong Economic Journal and the author of the book “我要做MD”. In his articles, he shares his management philosophies and real stories in the business world, aiming to motivate the youngsters in the workplace.
Mr. Patrick Yeung
Chief Executive Officer
Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce
Before joining HKGCC, Mr YEUNG was a senior executive of Swire Group. He spent nearly three decades in the Group’s Aviation Division and assumed senior management positions at both Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair. He also served as the Group’s China Chief Representative, based in Beijing, between 2009 and 2011.
As an all-round executive, Mr YEUNG has solid commercial and operational experience across Asia, with recognized expertise in pioneering and start-up, change management and government relations.
He was appointed Professor of Practice (Tourism Marketing), School of Hotel and Tourism Management, by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2019.
As the CEO of HKGCC, Mr YEUNG sits on various boards and government committees, including GS1HK, the International Business Committee, and the Council of Hong Kong Trade Development Council as well as Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre.
Mr YEUNG holds a Master’s degree in E-Commerce (Sc) and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from The University of Hong Kong.
Mr. Chuk-fai Kwan MH, JP
Professor of Practice, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Mr Kwan has extensive corporate management experiences and has been active in promoting corporate social responsibility, social capital building in various organizations. He is now a Professor of Practice, Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Mr. Paul Pong
Founder & Chairman
Institute of ESG & Benchmark
Mr Pong is Managing Director of Pegasus Fund Managers Ltd. He works in the fund management industry over thirty years with solid experience in traditional and hedge funds, P/E funds, asset & wealth management, financial planning, Fintech & ESG.
Mr Pong involves actively in the financial sector and community services. He is Chairman & Founder of The Institute of Financial Technologists of Asia, Current BOD Member and Ex-Chairman of The Institute of Financial Planners of HK, Member of Hong Kong Academy of Finance, Chairman of Leading Organiser of Hong Kong ICT Awards 2024: FinTech Award, Founding Member of High Performance Computing Association and Advisor of CityU Academy of Innovation.
Previously, he was also Member of Academic and Accreditation Advisory Committee of Securities & Futures Commission, Member of Advisory Committee of Hang Seng Indexes Co Ltd and Vice Chairman of The HK Institute of Financial Analysts and Professional Commentators.
Ms. Miko Cheung
Human Resources Director
LAWSGROUP
Ms. Miko Cheung has been in the human resources field for over 15 years. As a Group HR Director, she is responsible for the full spectrum of human resources and learning development initiatives and deliverables across all Business Units within LAWSGROUP in different regions. Miko has played a key catalyst role in promoting and implementing LAWS’s Value Framework – H.I.T. (Happiness-Integrity- Teamwork) culture and building a competent, committed, professional, and strong employer’s brand that attracts top-quality talents to grow with the Group.
Miko has a strong passion for building a human-centric culture. Under Miko’s leadership, LAWS won the honor of “Manpower Developer” awarded by the Employees Retraining Board, “Training and Development Excellence Award – development category” by HKMA in 2018, and won the HR Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2019.
Ms. Lancy Chui
Senior Vice President, Greater China Region
ManpowerGroup
Lancy Chui is the Senior Vice President of ManpowerGroup Greater China Limited (2180.HK), where she has played a vital role in developing business strategies for the Greater China region. She is a recognized HR expert and frequently appears in the media as a spokesperson for ManpowerGroup. Lancy has received prestigious awards, including the GBA Outstanding Women Entrepreneur Award and the Asian Female Business Leader Award. She holds positions in various organizations, including the Greater Bay Area Hong Kong Women Entrepreneurs Association and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s Advisory Board. Lancy is actively involved in HR management workshops, writes for JobMarket magazine, and contributes to CTHR.com. She also participates in charitable initiatives and nonprofit organizations.
Ms. Susanna Li
Chief Operating Officer
McDonald’s Hong Kong
Ms. Susanna Li is a highly accomplished professional with a wealth of experience in the retail and fast-food industry. Currently serving as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at McDonald’s Hong Kong, she has played a pivotal role in driving the company’s success in the region. Prior to her role at McDonald’s, Ms. Li held key positions at Apple, where she served as the Head of Learning & development in the Asia-Pacific region. She also served as the Vice President of Human Resources at McDonald’s China, where she demonstrated her passion for both people and business growth. Ms. Li firmly believes that prioritizing employee experience is essential in creating exceptional customer experiences.
Ms. Elsa Wong
Managing Director
NEC Hong Kong Limited
Ms. Elsa Wong is Managing Director of NEC Hong Kong Limited, a leading Japanese based technology company in providing one-stop solutions/services for various industries in Hong Kong, Macau and GBA.
Her goal is to newly implement innovative technologies and standards for excellence in society. Through our business activities, NEC will “Seize the Future Together” with customers and society to achieve the five visions of society: Living harmoniously with the earth to secure the future; Nurturing prosperous cities with inclusive and harmonious societies; Creating sustainable societies by shaping new industries and workstyles; Sharing hopes that transcend time, space, and generational boundaries; Bringing people together and filling each day with inspiration.
Mr. Stephen Leung
Consultant
Pfizer Hong Kong and Macau
Stephen is a distinguished pharmaceutical executive with nearly four decades of international leadership experience. He is a registered pharmacist, an executive coach and award-winning author blending healthcare expertise with business acumen. He has proven track record in P&L management, market expansion and cross-cultural team leadership.
Stephen built his remarkable career at Pfizer across three continents before retiring in 2022. Currently he serves as Non-Executive Director of PuraPharm corporation limited. In October 2025, Stephen rejoined Pfizer as Consultant.
Stephen has been actively serving the community – former Chairman of CUHK School of Pharmacy Advisory Board; Consultative Committee of CUHK School of Nursing; Council member of the Hong Kong Management Association (HKMA), fellow of the HKMA, Hong Kong College of Health Service Executives, (HKCHSE), Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM) also a registered Corporate Coach (ICF PCC).
Stephen has a strong passion for building a people-oriented culture and inspiring others to unleash their fullest potential. In recognition of his visionary leadership, he was honoured with the Asia Coaching Leadership Excellence Award in 2015, Leader of the Year Award 2016 and Exemplary Leader Award in 2021.
Ms. Miranda Kwan
Director, Business Assurance
SGS Hong Kong Limited
Ms. Miranda Kwan is currently the Director of Business Assurance, SGS Hong Kong Limited with more than 20 years of management experience. She is responsible for the overall strategy and management of the Certification and Training division including Quality, Environmental, Health & Safety, Information Security, Services, ESG, Sustainability and Supply Chain Management. She holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Chemical Technology and an MBA from HK Polytechnic University. For community services, Miranda is a member of the Consumer Council and a member of the Business Facilitation Advisory Committee, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR.
Dr. Thomas Man
Chief Education Officer
The Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong
Dr. Thomas Man has extensive experience in teaching, research, and academic administration and development in local and international higher education institutions. He has edited and co-authored several books, as well as authored and co-authored over 60 papers in the field of business management, with a focus on entrepreneurship and small business management, business and management education, family business, and entrepreneurial learning and education. In addition to teaching entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, Dr. Man also leads course development in these fields. He is dedicated to serving the community in various capacities, including serving as an advisor for start-ups and business associations, adjudicating business competitions, and acting as an external examiner for other higher education institutions.
Ms. Bonny Tam
General Manager – Human Resources
The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas)
Ms. Bonny Tam has extensive working experiences in Human Resources Management covering various industries including banking, container terminal and logistics, airport management and public utility. She is currently the General Manager of Human Resources at the Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas) and leads the overall Human Resources functions for the Hong Kong Division.
Ms. Tam holds an Executive Master Degree in Business Administration (EMBA), a Master Degree in Training and Development and a Bachelor Degree in Arts. She is also currently a taskforce member of the Business Prospect and Legislative Issues Committee of Employers’ Federation of Hong Kong.
Dr. Wayne Yu
Executive Director
Town Ray Holdings Limited
Dr. Wayne Yu is the Executive Director of Town Ray Holdings Limited (HKEX: 1692), a leading product developer and manufacturer of electrothermic household appliances. Under his visionary and collaborative leadership, the Group achieved a successful IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange Main Board in 2019, transforming into an innovation-driven enterprise.
With over two decades of strategic foresight, he has expanded the Group’s global presence in emerging markets by cultivating key partnerships. Committed to innovation, smart manufacturing, and sustainable development, Dr. Yu fosters a people-first culture that prioritizes team well-being and cohesive performance. His dedication to talent development is evident in the establishment of a Hong Kong R&D center to nurture local innovation.
Dr. Yu holds a Doctor of Business Administration from PolyU, alongside multiple master’s degrees, and serves as an Honorary Professor at Saint Francis University. Recognized with the prestigious Young Industrialist Award in 2020, he actively contributes to the industry in leadership roles, including Vice President of the Hong Kong-Middle East Business Chamber, Vice President of the Hong Kong Brands Protection Alliance, Committee Member of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, and Secretary-General of the Hong Kong Young Industrialists Council.
Dr. Barry Ip
Vice President – Learning and Advancement
Wynn Macau, Ltd
Dr. Barry Ip is a senior executive with over two decades of progressive experience in talent management across multiple global industries. He has held leadership positions at world-renowned Dr. Barry Ip is a distinguished senior executive with more than 20 years of progressive leadership in global talent management. He has held pivotal roles at internationally renowned organizations, including Microsoft, Jabil Circuit, and The Hong Kong Jockey Club.
As Vice President of Learning and Advancement at Wynn Palace and Wynn Macau, Dr. Ip plays a critical role in advancing strategic organizational objectives, including talent management, executive development, corporate culture enhancement, and maintaining service excellence. In addition, Dr. Ip serves as a Visiting Professor and advisory board member to several leading universities in China, where he contributes his extensive expertise in talent management, organizational development, and innovation. He holds a PhD and an MBA.
Founding Members
Corporate Members
SME Members
Our Committees
To achieve our vision from different perspectives, we will form 4 Committee Groups with the below mission:
CHO APPRECIATION AWARD & CHO REVIEW
The establishment of the CHO Appreciation Award committee will promote more meaningful awards related to the concept of the CHO, such as at the company, entrepreneur, and employee levels, to commend people who are willing to give in different positions and jointly promote the CHO movement.
The award ceremony is a start point that allows us to explore further how happiness-related management skills impact the productivity of companies. We are grateful to have our CHO Appreciation Award awardees participating in the CHO Review coordinated by CHOA & The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK). During the interview, we have invited leadership teams and colleagues from different departments to share their thoughts on the company’s culture.
The committee should be made up of experts who are passionate about recognizing and rewarding the best CHO practices to corporations or individuals. The committee will plan and support the award planning, recruitment, and ceremony, thus encouraging corporations to evaluate and incorporate CHO concepts.
Hong Kong Corporate Happiness Index
CHO Association and the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong cooperate to conduct corporate research and build a systematic evaluation platform. A group of professors collects and studies the happiness data of enterprises in different industries, which are professionally recognized by SGS to quantify the happiness index of enterprises with different indicators. We expect that index release conferences will be held every six months in the future, and the evaluation data will be made public to let the public explore the latest corporate happiness.
The committee should be made up of experts who are passionate in researching and studying the happiness findings of different corporations and would like to liaise with different parties to conduct studies. The committee will plan, schedule and facilitate the research procedure, thus providing valuable information for corporations and the public.
Events and Projects
The Events and Projects committee aims at promoting corporate happiness by organizing a series of activities planned throughout the year. The ambition is to implement the concept of CHO on multiple levels. More importantly, we encourage the community to start small changes in daily life by sharing the happy stories of the public on the channel, holding campaigns or activities, conducting company visits and learning exchanges, etc.
The committee should be made up of experts who are passionate about coordinating projects and would like to advocate the CHO movement in corporations and the community through diverse events. The committee will plan, schedule, and organize different events or campaigns regularly throughout the year for CHOA members.
People Transformation
CHO Association hopes to encourage a group of Human Resources practitioners to become the pioneers of the CHO movement through enhancing workforce performance and productivity and offering new talent transformation solutions to help the companies grow.
The committee should be made up of Human Resources experts who are passionate about talent development and would like to bring in innovative ideas. The committee will lead the industry to actively look for best practices and incorporate creative measures or systems that can improve the company’s culture, thus being the pioneer in advocating the CHO movement in corporations while achieving strategic business objectives for the organization.
