Former Legco secretary general tipped to take senior job at Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Source says Kenneth Chen, who held Legco role since 2012, being considered for vice-presidency job, after previous incumbent sacked last December
A source from the university’s governing council said a search committee had contacted Kenneth Chen Wei-on, with the body to make a final decision on the appointment.
The former Legislative Council secretary general’s work experience in leading a public body and crisis management experience was considered a match for the requirements of the senior management position at the publicly funded university, the insider said.
Chen, 59, had held the Legco role since 2012 and began his pre-retirement leave last Thursday. He also previously served as the city’s deputy education minister from 2008 to 2012.
“Both roles are from the public bodies rather than commercial companies and require the incumbent to take extra care in terms of procedure and how to spend public money properly,” the insider said.
A CUHK spokeswoman did not confirm Chen was tipped for the role of vice-president, but said the university was currently looking for someone to take on the administrative role.
“The new appointment will be announced after the candidates are finalised in accordance with current procedures,” she said.
The position at the university became vacant last December after the governing council fired Eric Ng Shui-pui with immediate effect. CUHK currently has five other vice-president positions.
CUHK council chairman John Cha Yat-chiu said at the time that the body was no longer confident of Ng’s ability and willingness to support the institution’s work.
Ng previously signed a petition against a proposal by three lawmakers to restructure the council, which was eventually approved and included increasing the number of external members in the body.
During his time as vice-president of the administration and the council’s secretary, he was accused of sending out a meeting agenda without the chairman’s consent.
Ng expressed his “extreme regret” over the council’s decision to sack him and said he was not given an opportunity to respond to the allegations during the university’s investigation.
A month later, university president Rocky Tuan Sung-chi announced he would resign from his role as the head of CUHK, just days after starting a new three-year term.
Tuan also acknowledged Ng’s work in his blog and said he possessed rich experience in the local and UK tertiary education systems, while wishing him every success in the future.
Chen’s past experience also includes serving as a director of the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s racecourse business, before he joined the government in 2008 as a deputy minister.
While serving as Legco’s secretary general in 2019, he faced calls to resign by the opposition camp over accusations he had exceeded the powers of his office by helping the pro-Beijing bloc to oust an opposition lawmaker from their role as chairman of a panel vetting a controversial extradition bill.
The bill was later scrapped after it triggered months-long anti-government demonstrations.
Chen at the time said his decision was based on the legislature’s rule book and conventions.
His academic qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Princeton University, a master’s in applied mathematics from Harvard University and another in business administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
