Shelley Lee Lai-kuen () is a former senior official in 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, ...

. She was known as Shelley Lau with her full name Shelley Lau Lee Lai-kuen before she divorced in 2000. Lee retired in 2005 from the

civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

as the Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, after a distinguished 34-year career in public service. Lee has made exemplary contributions to the development of Hong Kong and is well respected for her compassion towards those in difficulties.

Education

In 1971, Lee graduated from the University of Hong Kong where she studied English Literature in the Arts Faculty. In 1985, Lee graduated from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government with a

Master of Public Administration The Master of Public Administration (M.P.Adm., M.P.A., or MPA) is a specialized higher professional post graduate degree in public administration, similar/ equivalent to the Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of ...

degree. Lee also completed the six-week Advanced Management Programme of the

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

in 2000. In her earlier years, Lee attended the Maryknoll Convent School.

Career

In 1971, Lee joined the

as an Executive Officer and subsequently transferred to the Administrative Service in August 1972. She rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade A1 in September 2004. Lee was the first woman to take on the post of Private Secretary to the former Governor Baron MacLehose. During her 33 years of service in the Administrative Service, Lee has served in a number of senior positions including: Deputy Secretary-General, Office of Members of the Executive and Legislative Councils (September 1986 - August 1989); Commissioner for Recreation and Culture (October 1989 - June 1991); Secretary-General, Office of Members of the Executive and Legislative Councils (June 1991 - February 1993); Deputy Secretary for

Health and Welfare Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...

(February 1993 - July 1995); and Director of Home Affairs (August 1995 - June 2002). She became Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs in the principal officials shakeup of July 2002, retiring from civil service in October 2005. Over the years, Lee has been active in promoting women's and children's rights and welfare within the Civil Service. During the SARS crisis, she set up the We Care Education Fund for children of the deceased alongside Carrie Lam, Fanny Law and Margaret Chan. She is a founding member and former Chairman of the Association of Female Senior Government Officers formed in 1979 where she worked closely with other female senior civil servants, notably, Anson Chan, Elizabeth Wong and

Katherine Fok Lo Shiu-ching Katherine Fok Lo Shiu-ching (; ' Lo; born 12 December 1941) is a former Hong Kong government official. She was Secretary for Health and Welfare from 1994 to 1999. Fok was born in 1941 in Hong Kong and was graduated from the University of Hong ...

, to successfully fight for equal remuneration terms for married women in the Civil Service. This was achieved in 1981. As a result of such achievements, Lee is considered to be an early member of the 「手袋黨」—the "handbag party". Lee is known fondly to the public, particularly in the education, health and welfare sectors as the "Community Godmother", 「眾人媽打」, or simply 「媽打」. This is in tribute to her warmth and sincere care and concern for the underprivileged, the orphaned and victims of catastrophes.

Radio Talk Show

On 28 March 2012, Radio Television Hong Kong announced that Lee will co-host a radio talk show called【七百萬人的先鋒】with 區家麟. For this show, Lee will interview "50 Successful Women in Hong Kong" including: Elsie Tu, Ann Hui, Elizabeth Wong, Rosanna Wong, etc. The first show will air on RTHK Radio 1 on 7 April 2012.

Awards

In 2004, Lee received an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Hong Kong. In 2006, Lee received the Gold Bauhinia Star.

References

External links

Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Shelley Living people Hong Kong people of Hakka descent People from Xingning Government officials of Hong Kong 1949 births Alumni of the University of Hong Kong Harvard Kennedy School alumni Hong Kong women in politics Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star