Board & ADVISORS

Jeff Zhang has served as the chief technology officer of Alibaba Group since April 2016.

Prior to his current position, Jeff was president of China retail marketplaces from May 2015 to April 2016, and president of Taobao Marketplace and the wireless business division prior to that. He joined our company in July 2004 and has held various management positions, at different times leading Taobao Marketplace's technology infrastructure team, the B2C development team and Taobao Marketplace's product technology development team from 2004 to 2011. He served as vice president of product technology and operations of Taobao Marketplace from June 2011 to March 2012, and vice president of website and technology of Alibaba.com's China operations from March 2012 to January 2013. From January 2013 to February 2014, he oversaw Juhuasuan, local services, 1688.com, and Tmall.

Jeff studied computer science at Zhejiang University.

Professor Rocky S. Tuan assumed office as the eighth vice-chancellor and president of The Chinese University of Hong Kong on 1 January 2018. He is concurrently Lee Quo Wei and Lee Yick Hoi Lun Professor of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine at the University. Prior to joining CUHK in 2016 as a distinguished visiting professor and the founding director of the Institute for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, he held several appointments at the University of Pittsburgh, including distinguished professor of orthopaedic surgery and director of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Engineering in the School of Medicine. He is also founding director of the Center for Military Medicine Research and Associate Director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

Professor Tuan is an internationally renowned biomedical scientist specializing in musculoskeletal biology and tissue regeneration, whose work covers both basic science and engineering, as well as translational and clinical applications. His significant contributions have been recognized by the Hap Paul Award of the International Society of Technologies in Arthroplasty in 1997, the Marshall Urist Award for Excellence in Tissue Regeneration Research of the Orthopaedic Research Society in 2004, the Carnegie Science Award in Life Sciences, and the Clemson Award of the Society for Biomaterials in 2016. In 2017, Professor Tuan was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) for his accomplishments in innovation and translational research that bring significant impact on society.

Cindy Chow is the Executive Director of the Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund. Cindy joined Alibaba Group in 2007 and has worked in the financial control and planning capacity, most recently as the Senior Director of International Finance. Before joining Alibaba, Cindy has worked in a number of Hong Kong listed companies, specialising in financing, management reporting and planning.

Cindy holds a Master of Business Administration and is a certified public accountant. Through directly investing in early stage companies and organising various internship and training programmes, Cindy aspires to achieve the mission of the Fund which is to help Hong Kong entrepreneurs and young people realise their dreams for a vibrant world city.

Hui Luen is the Deputy General Manager at SenseTime Hong Kong, a leading AI software company focused on creating a better AI-empowered future through innovation. She is responsible for the Group’s overall strategic development and partnerships in Hong Kong, collaborating with partners who are keen to adopt AI technologies in their digital transformation journeys to achieve positive business value outcomes. Prior to joining SenseTime in 2019, Hui Luen ventured into the start-up scene at Yitu Technology as Marketing Director for Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau, and never looked back since. She previously held roles at Accenture, Ogilvy Public Relations, and Hill+Knowlton Strategies. Hui Luen graduated from Boston University, with a double major in Economics and International Relations. She also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Peking University.

Matthew Chan is a renowned digital focused Entrepreneur & Technology Strategist who has extensive experience in Asia and China’s Internet scene and omni-channel retailing. Focuses on driving enterprise digital transformation and building digital ecosystem via business innovation, digital technology, data analytics & building of entrepreneurship culture.

Mr. Chan is a pioneer & award winning CDO in the digital scene in the region and has a proven track record of driving enterprise digital transformation and building digital ecosystems through business innovation, digital technology, data analytics, and entrepreneurship culture development. He was the founding Group Chief Digital Officer in Jardine Restaurant Group, founding CDO in K11 Group & person in charge of Digital of New World Group , in which he established the digital organisation & ecosystem across China and HK from scratch. Prior to that, he has held senior positions at various corporate organisations such as Ralph Lauren and LVMH APAC.

Besides digital technology, Matthew is also a seasonal digital marketer who oversees digital marketing & social media.He is a passionate advocate for startups culture and being an active angel investor & advisor to various startups. Mr. Chan has also held advisory committee roles for different retail, digital & startups associations across the region. He is the founding chairman of Chamber of Data & Digital Commerce, committee member of the corporate innovation index committee to drive corporate innovation in HK , and executive committee of Digital Marketing Community at HKMA.

Hing is a graduate of Dartmouth College where he received his Bachelor of Arts cum laude in Economics and Asian Studies. Prior to joining Gobi Partners GBA, Hing held various positions in Asia, as Head of Buy-Now-Pay-Later at a growth stage fintech enterprise, Investment Manager at TPG's Venture Capital vehicle known as Evolution Media, Investment Banker at Goldman Sachs and Nomura, and also as a Start-up Co-Founder. He has accumulated executive-level management experience in well-funded tech startups, deep know-how of fintech and media industries, product management and operational expertise, and on-the-ground knowledge in China and Southeast Asia.

Huang Haoyu, Master in Electronic Engineering from CUHK, is an Algorithm Development Engineer and Product Manager at SenseTime Technology. With 5 years of experience in the R&D and design of image processing and deep learning platform applications, he has served as a technical judge of the HKAI Lab Accelerator Program for four cohorts.

At SenseTime, Haoyu was the core algorithm engineer responsible for the development of key projects. Leveraging his extensive experience in algorithms, management, product design, and development, he became the chief designer, product manager, and R&D lead for SenseTime's first deep learning data management and low-code training and inference platform. He led the team through the entire system process from design to implementation, achieving an 80% reduction in model development costs and a 90% reduction in iteration cycles.

Timothy was the Executive Director of the HKAI Lab for the for over 5 years, he has supported and coached many startups in the journey to become a successful business, including areas in fund raising, product and business development, and team management.

Timothy co-founded his own retail-tech startup which has been running since 2018 in Vietnam. He has accumulated over 20 years of experience in the Information and Internet field. He worked in esteemed companies such as Alibaba, Apple, and PCCW.

Timothy is strong at business strategic planning and implementation. He had managed direct sales team and channel partners for technology products and internet services, such background equipped him with comprehensive experience in sales, marketing, product development and senior management. He had many successes in government and private sector partnership development and management.

Timothy’s 20+ years' experience in the technology field covering Asia, Europe, and Americas. He directly managed staff and partners in Japan, Korea, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Turkey, USA, UK, Italy, Brazil and Peru.

Mr. LI Wai Kwan, Andy, is the Chief Financial Officer of Crystal International Group Limited (listed on Hong Kong Stock Exchange, stock code: 2232), one of the world largest apparel manufacturers. Prior to that, he was the Chief Financial Officer of Zhuhai Dahengqin Company Limited. Mr. Li was previously the managing director of a listed private equity fund; the vice president of a centralized Chinese state-owned enterprise; and the vice president of finance of a blue chip listed company in Hong Kong.
Mr. Li is one of the 122 national distinguished experts recognized by All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese. He currently holds a director, executive committee member and honorary treasurer of the Hong Kong – ASEAN Economics Cooperation Foundation, an honorary president of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants – Hong Kong & Macau Branch, a chairman of Institute of Public Accountants – Hong Kong Branch, a committee member, SME committee of ACCA – Hong Kong Branch, a general committee member and a chairman of professional education and training committee of the Chamber of Hong Kong Listed Companies, and a director of The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel Limited.
Mr. Li obtained a bachelor with honours from University of Toronto, and the MBA from Schulich School of Business, York University. He is also a member of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants amongst his various professional qualifications.

Michael spent 13 years as a partner at Marks&Clerk, Hong Kong, leading M&C’s HK/China Chemical, Bio and Pharma Patent group handling international patent drafting, prosecution, and international due diligence, opinion work and client counseling in technical areas such as pharmaceuticals, material science, polymer chemistry, manufacturing, FMCG, computer systems, AI, etc.

Previously a Patent Senior Counsel at Procter & Gamble Co., Michael set up P&G’s Beijing Patent group and managed all Asian Patent matters for P&G’s laundry and cleaning products, as well as oral care and foods (2008-10). Working for P&G in Beijing, China (2007-10), and Kobe, Japan from (1997-2007, Michael focused on holistic global IP strategies and Asian Patent matters related to licensing, patent drafting/filing, prosecution, due diligence/opinions, divestitures, mergers and acquisitions. At P&G, Michael handled patent matters in Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and other Asian countries.

Michael Lin (B.A. Biochemistry, U.C Berkeley; J.D., Boston University) was such a terrible scientist that he had to become a lawyer. Michael is an Ohio, U.S.A. Attorney and is a USPTO Patent Attorney. Michael is an inventor, entrepreneur, mentor and a frequent speaker at law schools, business schools, and industry conferences. Michael is active in 4 NGOs seeking to make the world better.

Tak Lo is the Chief Vision Officer of Kedoom, an AI fertility startup with a focus on large sperm modeling (LSM). He is a visionary leader in the tech industry, with a wealth of experience in founding and leading innovative companies.

Tak is known for his expertise in AI technologies. He founded one of the first accelerators that solely focused on AI, and has spoken at prominent AI-specific events like the Human-Level AI Conference and AI and Society. He is also the author of the book ````I, Leader: Leadership Philosophy in the Age of AI,```` which explores the role of AI in shaping the future of leadership.

Prior to his work at Kedoom, Tak built the first international office for Techstars, the world's largest accelerator program. He has also advised various organizations and governmental agencies on how to capitalize on technology disruption and economic transformation. Tak has been a non-official member of the Committee on Innovation, Technology, and Re-industrialization of Hong Kong, the ESS Assessment panel under the Innovation and Technology Fund of Hong Kong, and the sub-group on Smart Hospital for the Hospital Authority of Hong Kong. He has also advised the Estonian government on its e-residency program and spoken on a US Congressional Panel on Veterans Affairs.

Tak's accomplishments have been widely recognized in the global media, including appearances in Bloomberg, The Economist, Forbes, and MIT Technology Review. He has also been published in outlets such as SCMP, Techcrunch, and Coindesk, and has spoken at events like TEDx and Connected Capital. Additionally, Tak writes for the Automated, an AI and business newsletter with over 16,000 subscribers.

Tak holds an MBA from the London Business School and an AB in economics from the University of Chicago.

Amy Lung was a former telecom guru holding various senior executive roles on telecom and internet businesses for 30 years covering 17 markets globally, prior to her retirement in 2019. In her career pursuits with HKT CSL, Pacifica Group AsiaLink and Hutchison Telecom International, she revolutionized the mobile 3G to 5G data era through innovative convergence of telecom and internet services to launch multiple behavioral changing b2b and b2C lifestyle services. She also steered the global partnerships with renowned device vendors promoting new forms for smartphone adoptions, while served as advisor for several venture funds to formulate innovative Go-To-Market models and market expansion for their invested startups through her global networks She has led numerous successful initiatives to fuel mobile data boom in different markets with new business models.
Ms Lung serves as a Court member in PolyU after serving as a Council member for 6 years from 2013 to 2019, and served as a member in the Finance and investment committee and brand committee. She is currently a member of the Polyu EIF fund facilitating knowledge transfer projects and startup incubations.
Ms Lung joined as a board member of CityU Enterprise (tech 300) since January 2022. She has actively contributed in promoting CityU tech 300 programs to the startup/ investment community and offering close guidance and incubation advice on business commercialization of the portfolio companies.

Dr. Pui Wai (Leo) Ma currently serves as the Dean of the Deloitte AI Institute (Hong Kong), where he is responsible for the strategic development of AI applications. He was awarded Doctor of Philosophy from the Department of Electronic and Information Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, in 2008. Prior to joining Deloitte, Dr. Ma held a position as a Magnetic Materials and High-Performance Computing Specialist at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. He has authored numerous research papers that have been published in top-tier journals and is a regular speaker and presenter at leading international conferences. His expertise encompasses a wide range of scientific topics, and he employs both conventional and cutting-edge machine learning methods in his research. Dr. Ma is also an expert in large-scale massive parallel calculations in high-performance computing (HPC) and possesses extensive experience in code development, utilizing both CPUs and GPUs. Since 2010, he has served as a visiting academic at the Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, where he shares his prior experiences and research insights with students and junior researchers. He also served as a member of the Operation Committee and Expert Group for EuroFusion HPC, monitoring the operation of HPC clusters and providing expert recommendation on the procurement of new HPC clusters dedicated to the EuroFusion Consortium.

Tony joined Gobi’s Hong Kong office in 2016, and currently focuses on building Hong Kong and Southern China Greater Bay Area (GBA) startup ecosystems, as well as the Southeast Asia and the Middle East markets. Tony has focused on and invested in more than 70 start-up companies globally, in the fields of artificial intelligence, semiconductors, new materials, industry 4.0/smart manufacturing, cross-border e-commerce & logistics, Internet service SaaS, industrial Internet, Web 3.0 and financial technology (FinTech). Tony has accumulated extensive experience in growing high-tech businesses from his two previous startups related to financial technology and enterprise solutions in big data. He led the overall product roadmap and management, business development & operation, technical algorithm/infrastructure design and implementation, user experience design as well as fundraising for both of the companies. Tony received his B.Eng. in Computer Engineering and B.B.A. in Financial Engineering double degree programme at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Dr. Miles Wen is CEO and Founder of Fano Labs Limited, a spin-off company from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) that has raised over tens of millions of dollars in venture investment from renowned investors such as Horizons Ventures and Alibaba. Dr. Wen specializes in information and communication technologies, optimisation algorithms, big data, and machine learning and has numerous academic publications and patents. Since 2016, he was appointed as Adjunct Assistant Professor (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) at HKU, where he takes active role in guest lecturing in topics related with technology transfer, startups, and artificial intelligence applications..Dr. Wen also actively contributes to the technology ecosystem. He is an active mentor at the iDendron Incubation Program at HKU, Founding Vice President of HKSTP Startups Alumni Association, EEE Industry Advisory Committee Member, School of Engineering, RMIT University, Member of Hong Kong Trade Development Council Electronics / Electrical Appliances Industries Advisory Committee, and Member of the Expert Review Panel of Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre.Dr. Wen received his B.Eng. (CE) with First Class Honors and Ph.D. (EEE) from HKU in 2011 and 2015, respectively. He was also a Fulbright Scholar of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science at University of California, Berkeley.

Esther is the founder and CIO of 3Capital Investment, an AI-focused VC targeting global opportunities. The firm has a dedicated vision: we believe AI is at the dawn of a multi-year breakthrough, and we have chosen to focus on infrastructure and foundational technologies that will be the building blocks of this revolution.

Prior to founding 3Capital, Esther was a founding member of SenseTime, one of China’s largest AI software companies. She initiated the company’s strategic investment and capital markets team, raising over USD 5 billion and leading investments and collaborations with strategic partners both domestically and internationally.

In addition to her successful startup experience, Esther has over 20 years of experience in finance and banking, holding leadership roles at Cazenove (now JP Morgan), CICC, Barclays, and Bocom.

Esther holds an Executive MBA from The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. She is dedicated to youth development and serves as a board member of the Greater Bay Youth Committee and Junior Achievement Hong Kong.

Yuan Xie is a Chair Professor in HKUST. He is IEEE/ACM/AAAS Fellow. Before joining HKUST, he was with Alibaba Group as Vice President and Chief Scientist of DAMO Academy, CTO of T-Head Semiconductor. He was also a Professor at UCSB and Penn State.

Richard Yi Da Xu is a Full Professor in the Department of Mathematics at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU). He has twenty years of research experience in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. His current research pursuits include Bayesian Nonparametrics and Learning Theory, Computer Vision and Natural Language Processing. Beyond academia, Richard is also a tech entrepreneur, having founded an AI startup based at the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks (HKSTP).
A contributor to the scientific community, Richard's work has been found at leading international conferences such as ICLR, AAAI, IJCAI, ECAI, ECCV, AI-STATS, and ICDM. He has also made significant contributions to prominent IEEE Transactions, including IEEE TNNLS, TIP, TSP, TKDE, MC, and T-Cybernetics. Since 2009, he has developed over thousand slides of machine learning PhD training materials and videos, freely available online.
During his long academic appointments in Australia, Richard's collaborative efforts spanned a diverse range of industries including finance, e-commerce, government, transportation, utilities, agriculture, communications, and the legal sector. He founded the Deep Learning Sydney meetup, growing it to a community of more than 4,800 members, making it one of the largest AI meetups in Australia. His expertise also extended to the international standards, where he represented Australia at the plenary of ISO JTC1 SC42, Artificial Intelligence.