Jack So Chak-kwong, GBM, GBS, OBE, JP () is the chairman of the Board of

Airport Authority Hong Kong The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA or AAHK) is the statutory body (governed by the Airport Authority Ordinance (Cap. 483)) of the government of Hong Kong that is responsible for the operations of the Hong Kong International Airport. History ...

from June 2015. He is a former chairman and Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), former chairman and Chief Executive of the

MTR Corporation MTR Corporation Limited is a majority government-owned public transport operator and property developer in Hong Kong which operates the Mass Transit Railway, the most popular public transport network in Hong Kong. It is listed on the Hong ...

, and former Deputy chairman and Group managing director of PCCW. In October 2013, he was appointed Chairman of the Consultative Committee on Economic and Trade Co-operation between Hong Kong and the Mainland. In January 2013 he was appointed a non-official member of the Economic Development Commission, and Convenor of its Working Group on Convention and Exhibition Industries and Tourism. He was the Chairman of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Society, Chairman of Harrow International School Hong Kong, member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Honorary Consultant to the Mayor of San Francisco, International Business Advisor to the Mayor of Beijing, and a member of Lantau Development Advisory Committee of Hong Kong Government. He is an independent non-executive Director of AIA Group Ltd and China Resources Power Holdings Company Ltd., and senior advisor to Credit Suisse, Greater China. So is a former independent director of HSBC and

Cathay Pacific Airways Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (CPA), more widely known as Cathay Pacific (), is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline's operations and subsidiaries have s ...

Limited. A Justice of Peace, So were awarded the

Gold Bauhinia Star The Gold Bauhinia Star (, GBS) is the highest Bauhinia Star rank in the honours system of Hong Kong, created in 1997 to replace the British honours system of the Order of the British Empire after the transfer of sovereignty to People's Republic of ...

in 2011 and the

Grand Bauhinia Medal The Grand Bauhinia Medal () is the highest award under the Hong Kong honours and awards system; it is to recognise the selected person's lifelong and highly significant contribution to the well-being of Hong Kong. The awardee is entitled to the ...

in 2017.

Early years

So was born in

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

, China on 1945. He went to

La Salle College La Salle College (LSC) (, Demonym: Lasallian) is a boys' secondary school in Hong Kong. It was established in 1932 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a Roman Catholic religious teaching order founded by St. John Ba ...

and the

University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fi ...

and obtained a diploma in economics from

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, UK.

Career

So began his career with the

Hong Kong Government The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the Executive (government), executive authorities of Hong Kong Special administrative regions of China, ...

. He then joined the

private sector The private sector is the part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government. Employment The ...

in 1978 and held various senior positions in

stockbroking A stockbroker is a regulated broker, broker-dealer, or registered investment adviser (in the United States) who may provide financial advisory and investment management services and execute transactions such as the purchase or sale of stocks an ...

, banking and

property development Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to others. R ...

. He served as Executive Director of the

Hong Kong Trade Development Council The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 as the international marketing dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong's businesses. The organisation has 50 offices around the world, including ...

(TDC) from 1985 to 1992, and the chairman from 2007 to 2015. So was the chairman and Chief Executive of the Mass Transit Railway Corporation Limited from 1995 to 2003. He was Deputy chairman and Group managing director of

PCCW PCCW Limited (formerly known as Pacific Century CyberWorks Limited) is a Hong Kong-based information and communications technology (ICT) company. The company is the majority owner of telecommunications company HKT Limited, and also holds a maj ...

from 2003 to 2007. He is a

non-executive Director A non-executive director (abbreviated to non-exec, NED or NXD), independent director or external director is a member of the board of directors of a corporation, such as a company, cooperative or non-government organization, but not a member of the ...

American International Assurance AIA Group Limited, often known as AIA (), is a Hong Kong-based American multinational insurance and finance corporation. It is the largest public listed life insurance and securities group in Asia-Pacific. It offers insurance and financial s ...

Group Limited and China Resources Power Holding Company Ltd., and senior advisor to Credit Suisse, Greater China. So was an independent director of

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited HSBC Holdings plc is a British multinational universal bank and financial services holding company. It is the largest bank in Europe by total assets ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$2.953 trillion as of December 2021. In 2021, HSBC had $10.8 tril ...

from 2000 to 2007 and Cathay Pacific Airways Limited from 2002 to 2015. In the political aspect, So is a member of the

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC, zh, 中国人民政治协商会议), also known as the People's PCC (, ) or simply the PCC (), is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of ...

from 2008 to 2018. He was an International Business Advisor to the Mayor of Beijing, and was appointed Honorary Consultant to the Mayor of San Francisco in 2013. He was also appointed by the HKSAR Government as Chairman of the Film Development Council from April 2007 to March 2013. So is an Honorary Doctorate in Social Sciences at The University of Hong Kong (HKU). He was appointed Member of The University Council in 2000 and served as the Chairman of The University’s Campus Development & Planning Committee from 2006 to 2012, and was responsible for the building of HKU’s new Centennial Campus.

Awards and honours

* Honorable Decorations in Social Science from

(2011) *

(Hong Kong/2011) *

(Hong Kong/2017)

Controversies

Panama Papers

So's name is found among the

Panama Papers The Panama Papers ( es, Papeles de Panamá) are 11.5 million leaked documents (or 2.6 terabytes of data) that were published beginning on April 3, 2016. The papers detail financial and attorney–client information for more than 214,488 ...

, including as an owner of an offshore company Jaderich Limited and as a stock holder of Solid Foundation Limited (SFL). He refused to reveal the business nature of Jarderich Ltd, when he was enquired by the local media. He only stated the company has been inactive for year.

References

External links

HKTDC farewells Jack So Chak-kwong
on YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:So, Jack 1945 births Living people Hong Kong chief executives Government officials of Hong Kong MTR Corporation Alumni of the University of Hong Kong Businesspeople from Guangzhou Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference District councillors of Wan Chai District Members of the Selection Committee of Hong Kong Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 1998–2000 Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2000–2005 Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2007–2012 Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2012–2017 Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2021–2026 Recipients of the Grand Bauhinia Medal Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star Officers of the Order of the British Empire