Gregory So

The Honourable
Gregory So Kam-leung
蘇錦樑
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
Incumbent
Assumed office
28 June 2011
Acting from 13 April – 27 June
Chief Executive Donald Tsang
Preceded by Rita Lau
Undersecretary for Commerce and Economic Development
In office
2 June 2008 – 27 June 2011
Secretary Rita Lau
Preceded by Position Created
Succeeded by Vacant
Personal details
Born 1959 (age 55–56)
British Hong Kong
Political party Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong
Alma mater Carleton University
University of Ottawa

Gregory So Kam-leung (Chinese: 蘇錦樑) is the current Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of Hong Kong.

Education

So holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Carleton University and a double degree of Master of business administration and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Ottawa.[1]

Early years

So moved to Canada at age 16, returning to Hong Kong in the 1980s. He got married and raised his family in Canada.[2] So left Canada in the late 1990s and returned to work in Hong Kong. As a senior government official, So no longer has Canadian citizenship.

Career

Professional career

So is the senior partner of a solicitor’s firm, member of the Hospital Authority, the Council of the Lingnan University, and the Commission on Strategic Development.[1]

Political career

So was the vice chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong when he was appointed as Under Secretary.[1] He resigned as the party's vice chairman then, but still maintain his membership.[3]

Between 2000 and 2003, So served on the Wong Tai Sin District Council and the Tsz Wan Shan Area Committee.[1]

In 2008 he was nominated Undersecretary for the Commerce and Economic Development under the 2008 Political Appointments System, at the 'cost' of having to renounce his Canadian citizenship.[4] "It was a tough decision. In doing so, I have also had to give up my legal practice qualification in Canada where I still have friends and relatives," he said[2]

On 28 June 2011, So was appointed to succeed Rita Lau as Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development after she resigned for health reasons in April 2011.

On 6 May 2014, So's office and home received delivery of faeces after he told HongKongers to tolerate incidents where Mainland visitors freely defecate and urinate on the streets of Hong Kong. So's comment came after a mainlander become violent to bystanders after they allowed their child to urinate in public in Hong Kong. Since receipt of the faeces delivery, So has also announced threats to the people responsible for stating their actions to be "very unwise."

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Press release, "CE appoints Under Secretaries" (with photos), Government Information Service, 20 May 2008, Retrieved on 21 June 2008.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bonnie Chen (30 May 2008). "Two surrender foreign passports to defuse row". The Standard. Hong Kong.
  3. ↑ Lee, Diana (21 May 2008). "High hopes for appointees". The Standard (Hong Kong: The Standard Newspapers Publishing Ltd). p. 08. Retrieved 9 April 2009.
  4. ↑ Asia Times. "Asia Times." Hong Kong deputies disappoint . Retrieved on 21 June 2008.
Political offices
New title Undersecretary for Commerce and Economic Development
2008–2011 		Vacant
Preceded by
Rita Lau		 Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
2011–present 		Incumbent
Order of precedence
Previous:
Anna Wu
Non-official member of the Executive Council		 Hong Kong order of precedence
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development 		Succeeded by
Raymond Tam
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs