The Hong Kong Institute of Directors Announces Winners of Directors Of The Year Awards 2009

Thursday, 26 November 2009, 08:32 HKT/SGT

HONG KONG, Nov 26, 2009 - (ACN Newswire) - The Hong Kong Institute of Directors ("HKIoD") announced and honoured winners of the Directors Of The Year Awards ("DOYA") 2009 today at the Annual Dinner of the Institute held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and attended by more than 500 guests from different industries and sectors.

The evening was hosted by Dr Kelvin Wong, Chairman of The Hong Kong Institute of Directors with Mr Eddy Fong, Chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission, as the Guest of Honour.

The Awards project, in its ninth year, recognises outstanding directors and promotes professionalism as an essential attribute of directors critical to the effective performance of the governing board of a corporation or an organisation. The theme of the Directors Of The Year Awards 2009 is "Responsible Directors in Times of Adversity".

Mr Eddy Fong said, "Corporations are the bedrock of Hong Kong's success as an international financial centre and its economic prosperity. Directors are the stewards of corporate Hong Kong and the vanguard of shareholders. They are expected to deal with the changes and risks of their business environment in a rapidly changing and increasingly complex and interconnected world. Directors play a key role in the success of their corporations and in maintaining shareholder confidence. This contributes to making Hong Kong Asia's premier fund raising centre."

Dr Kelvin Wong added, "The financial crisis has brought to our attention how poor financial and operational governance could lead to the downfall of even the most formidable global corporations. There are lessons to be learnt from the crisis and one of them is no doubt what corporations need to do to improve corporate governance, which will not only affect the corporation itself, but also the economy and people's livelihood."

Ms Cynthia Tang, Chairman of the Awards Organising Committee, said, "Forward-looking directors who fulfill their obligations and do not compromise its corporate governance principles even in times of adversity are those who the Awards wish to honour this year. We hope the Awards can help raise awareness of the importance of corporate governance in the society and ultimately contribute to the prosperity of all sectors in Hong Kong."

Dr Carlye Tsui, CEO of HKIoD said, "The 26-member judging panel had a tough time selecting the winners as the candidates are in many ways exemplary models for their counterparts in different corporations. We hope the Awards can help raise professional standards of directors and encourage them in pursuit of excellence in governance practices. Directors are ultimately responsible for corporate governance and tasked with steering their companies with integrity."

The winners of the DOYA 2009 in the different award categories are:


Listed Companies (SEHK Hang Seng Index Constituents):

Executive Director      Dr WANG Jianzhou
                        Chairman & CEO, China Mobile Limited

Non-Executive Director	Mr Paul CHENG Ming Fun JP
                        Deputy Chairman, Esprit Holdings Ltd

Listed Companies (SEHK Non-Hang Seng Index Constituents):
	
Executive Director      Mr XU Muhan
                        General Manager, China Travel International 
                        Investment Hong Kong Ltd

Executive Director      Mr ZHOU Yong
                        Vice-Chairman & CEO, China State Construction
                        International Holdings Limited     

Board                   Board of Directors, China Agri-Industries Holdings Limited
Board                   Board of Directors, China State Construction
                        International Holdings Limited

Private Companies:

Executive Director      Mr LIU Tingan
                        Deputy Chairman & President, China Life Insurance
                       (Overseas) Company Limited
   
Statutory/ Non-profit-distributing Organisations:

Non-Executive Director  Dr MAK Kin Wah, Kim BBS JP
                        Chairman, The Hong Kong Society for the Aged

DOYA is hosted by the HKIoD with 77 project partners, including 26 distinguished persons on the Panel of Judges. The project also has extensive support from a number of renowned companies as co-sponsors. Supporting Organisations included government bureaus, the media, service organisations, professional institutes and consultancy firms.

About Directors Of The Year Awards

First launched in 2001, Directors Of The Year Awards were the first ever such Awards organised in Asia. The project has now become an annual project of impact in the community. The objectives are to publicise the significance of good corporate governance, to recognise directors and boards of directors for their outstanding director practices and corporate governance and to promote good corporate governance and director professionalism in Hong Kong. For more details on the previous years' Awards, please visit: http://www.hkiod.com/dya-awardees.html

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