Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, GBS, JP (; born 23 October 1951 in Hong Kong) is a non-official member of the Executive Council (Exco) and member of the Legislative Council (Legco), representing the

Commercial (First) The Commercial (First) functional constituency () is a functional constituency in the elections for the Legislative Council of Hong Kong first created in 1985. The constituency is composed of corporate members of the Hong Kong General Chamber o ...

functional constituency A functional constituency is an electoral device (a non-geographical constituency) used within the political systems of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China: * Functional constituency (Hong Kong) * Functional cons ...

. He is currently the vice-chairman of the

pro-business A market economy is an economic system in which the decisions regarding investment, production and distribution to the consumers are guided by the price signals created by the forces of supply and demand, where all suppliers and consumers are ...

pro-Beijing The pro-Beijing camp, pro-establishment camp, pro-government camp or pro-China camp refers to a political alignment in Hong Kong which generally supports the policies of the Beijing central government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) t ...

Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong The Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA) is a pro-business pro-Beijing political party in Hong Kong. Chaired by Lo Wai-kwok, the party is currently the second-largest party in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, holding eigh ...

(BPA).

Education

Lam attended St. Joseph's College (class of 1969) and graduated in Mechanical Engineering from

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

in the United States.

Career

He is managing director of Forward Winsome Industries, a toy manufacturer. He is also a General committee member of the

Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC; ) was founded on 29 May 1861, and is the oldest and one of the largest business organizations in Hong Kong. It has around 4,000 corporate members, who combined employ around one-third of Hong Kon ...

and the

Federation of Hong Kong Industries The Federation of Hong Kong Industries (FHKI; ) is a business organization for the industrial companies in Hong Kong established under the Federation of Hong Kong Industries Ordinance, of the laws of Hong Kong, in 1960. Objectives The objectives ...

. In the 2004 Legislative Council election, he represented the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

to run in the

whose electors were the members of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, as incumbent James Tien, chairman of the Liberal Party, ran for direct election in the New Territories East. Lam has since held the seat. As a long-term member of the Liberal Party, he was nominated to be party chairman following the resignation of James Tien after the latter's defeat in the 2008 Legislative Council election in September 2008. In October 2012 after the Legislative Council election, Lam co-founded the pro-business

(BPA) and became vice-chairman. On 17 October 2012, he was appointed non-official member of the

Executive Council of Hong Kong The Executive Council of Hong Kong (ExCo) is the cabinet of the Government of Hong Kong, acting as a formal body of advisers to the Chief Executive of Hong Kong that serves as a core policy-making organ assisting the Chief Executive. It is ...

Chief Executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Leung Chun-ying Leung Chun-ying (; born 12 August 1954), also known as CY Leung, is a Hong Kong politician and chartered surveyor, who has served as vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference since Mar ...

. In February 2022, Lam told SCMP that he would be attending the 2022

Two Sessions The Two Sessions (NPC & CPPCC National Committee annual sessions), or in Chinese ''Lianghui'' is a common Mandarin Chinese abbreviation for a pair of organizations which have close relations. In the Chinese government, the term refers to the ...

, as a Hong Kong delegate. In November 2022, Lam went to Thailand and summarized his visit as clarifying that there is no more quarantine when arriving in Hong Kong, and that the city's brain drain is not as bad as someone had earlier thought.

Controversies and views

In 2014, Lam had his licence suspended for six months for dangerous driving after he drove in the wrong lane at the junction of Wang Chiu Road and Cheung Yip Street in

Kowloon Bay Kowloon Bay is a body of water within Victoria Harbour and an area within Kowloon, Hong Kong. The bay is located at the east of the Kowloon Peninsula and north of Hong Kong Island. It is the eastern portion of Victoria Harbour, between ...

. On 18 June 2015, Lam famously orchestrated the departure of the majority of the

Legislative Councillors from the legislative chamber just moments before votes were to be cast on the long-awaited Beijing-ordered Chief Executive election reform legislation which they intended to support. The legislation was voted down, 28 to 8. The few voting for were present only because Lam had failed to communicate the walkout to them effectively, and thereby contributed to the quorum required for the ballot to take place. Lam apologised and also fought back tears. In a WhatsApp message circulated among pro-Beijing allies, Lam described Thursday as "the saddest day" of his 11 years in Legco. "I have learnt a very painful lesson," he said. In February 2021, after

Xia Baolong Xia Baolong (; born 2 December 1952) is a Chinese politician. Originally from Tianjin, Xia began his political career in the Communist Youth League. He served as the vice mayor of Tianjin, governor and Communist Party Secretary of Zhejiang provi ...

said that only "patriots" could govern Hong Kong and that electoral changes needed to be made, Lam supported the proposal and said that "I think whatever proposed is for the betterment of Hong Kong's society, the Hong Kong government, for the whole system... So we look forward to that. We hope that would come as soon as possible." In March 2021, Lam supported changes to rules that would reduce the power of Legislative Council members, claiming that the opposition had abused the rules and delayed many bills from passing. In August 2022, Lam repeated

Regina Ip Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee (; ' Lau; born 24 August 1950) is a Chinese politician. She is currently the Convenor of the Executive Council (ExCo) and a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo), as well as the founder and current chair ...

's opinion and said that public housing should not be built on the Fanling site of the Hong Kong Golf Club, though the development proposal was well-received by the public. In October 2022, after several US lawmakers warned US financial executives to not attend the

Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit The Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit is a financial summit to be hosted in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), scheduled for 1–3 November 2022. Background The initiative was announced by Financial Secretary Paul C ...

, Lam said that the lawmakers were trying to "sabotage" the Summit.

Awards

In 1996, Lam was appointed a

Justice of Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

and awarded

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

. In 2004 he received the

Silver Bauhinia Star The Silver Bauhinia Star (, SBS) is the second Bauhinia Star rank in the honours system of Hong Kong, awarded to people who have taken a leading part in public affairs or voluntary work over a long period. The award was created in 1997 to repla ...

and 2011 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 ...

Personal life

Lam owns 3 residential properties, 7 commercial properties, and 11 parking spots in Hong Kong.

External links

Official site of Jeffrey Lam

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lam, Jeffrey 1951 births Living people Hong Kong businesspeople Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star Recipients of the Silver Bauhinia Star Members of the Order of the British Empire Tufts University School of Engineering alumni Liberal Party (Hong Kong) politicians Economic Synergy politicians Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong politicians Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference HK LegCo Members 2004–2008 HK LegCo Members 2008–2012 HK LegCo Members 2012–2016 HK LegCo Members 2016–2021 HK LegCo Members 2022–2025 HNA Group people