Gregory So Kam-leung () is the former

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development heads the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the Hong Kong Government. The Secretary is responsible for promoting commerce and the economic development of Hong Kong. The position was c ...

of Hong Kong.

Education

So holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public university, 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 se ...

and a double degree of Master of

business administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

and

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

.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)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. 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 Hospital Authority is a statutory body managing all the government hospitals and institutes in Hong Kong. It is under the governance of its board and is under the monitor of the Secretary for Health of the Hong Kong Government. Its c ...

, the Council of the

Lingnan University Lingnan University a public research university located in Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hong Kong. Lingnan University has 3 faculties, 3 Schools, 16 departments, 2 language centres, and 2 units (science and music), offering 29 degree honours ...

, 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 The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) is a Pro-Beijing camp (Hong Kong), pro-Beijing political party registered since 1992 in Hong Kong. Chaired by Gary Chan and holding 19 Legislative Council 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 Wong Tai Sin or Huang Daxian () is a Chinese Taoist deity popular in Jinhua, Zhejiang, and Hong Kong with the power of healing. The name, meaning the "Great Immortal Wong (Huang)", is the divine form of Huang Chuping or Wong Cho Ping (; c. 328 ...

District Council and the

Tsz Wan Shan Tsz Wan Shan () is a residential area in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Located below Temple Hill, it is administratively part of Wong Tai Sin District. Temple Hill is also called ''Tsz Wan Shan'' , but Tsz Wan Shan usually refers to the area. It is ...

Area Committee. In 2008 he was nominated

Undersecretary Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is a ...

for the Commerce and Economic Development under the 2008

Political Appointments System In Hong Kong, the Political Appointments System is a scheme introduced by then chief executive Donald Tsang in 2008 to reinforce the government's ministerial team by superseding the Principal Officials Accountability System and inserting two l ...

, 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 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