Gregory So Kam-leung () is the former
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of Hong Kong.
Education
So holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from
Carleton University
Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning Wo ...
and a double degree of Master of
business administration and
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...
from the
University of Ottawa.
[Press release]
"CE appoints Under Secretaries" (with photos)
Government Information Service, 20 May 2008, Retrieved on 21 June 2008.
Early years
So moved to Canada at age 16, returning to Hong Kong in the 1980s. He got married and raised his family in Canada.
So left Canada in the late 1990s, after working as a lawyer in Ontario, and returned to work in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
. As a senior government official, So no longer has Canadian citizenship.
Career
Professional career
So is the senior partner of a solicitor's firm, member of the
Hospital Authority, the Council of the
Lingnan University
Lingnan University (LN/LU), formerly called Lingnan College, is a public liberal arts university in Hong Kong. It aims to provide students with an education in the liberal arts tradition and has joined the Global Liberal Arts Alliance sinc ...
, and the Commission on Strategic Development.
Political career
So was the vice chairman of the
Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong when he was appointed as Under Secretary.
He resigned as the party's vice chairman then, but still maintain his membership.
Between 2000 and 2003, So served on the
Wong Tai Sin District Council and the
Tsz Wan Shan Area Committee.
In 2008 he was nominated
Undersecretary for the Commerce and Economic Development under the 2008
Political Appointments System, at the 'cost' of having to renounce his Canadian citizenship. "It was a tough decision. In doing so, I have also had to give up my legal practice qualification in Canada where I still have friends and relatives," he said
[
On 28 June 2011, So was appointed to succeed ]Rita Lau
Rita Lau Ng Wai-lan (born 8 May 1953) is a Hong Kong former civil servant. She was appointed Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development in July 2008 after her predecessor Frederick Ma resigned due to health reasons. Coincidentally, ill-hea ...
as Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development after she resigned for health reasons in April 2011.
On 6 May 2014, So's office and home received delivery of faeces after he told Hongkongers to tolerate incidents where Mainland visitors freely defecate and urinate on the streets of Hong Kong. So's comment came after a mainlander become violent to bystanders after they allowed their child to urinate in public in Hong Kong. Since receipt of the faeces delivery, So has also announced threats to the people responsible for stating their actions to be "very unwise."
Family
His brother, Kevin So Kam-wai, was sentenced to more than 6 years in jail for money laundering.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:So, Gregory
Government officials of Hong Kong
Carleton University alumni
University of Ottawa alumni
Solicitors
District councillors of Wong Tai Sin District
Canadian people of Hong Kong descent
Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong politicians
Living people
1959 births