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CUHK Welcomes Back One of its Own
The CUHK Distinguished Alumni-in-Residence Programme 2019 welcomed alumnus Norman Chan Tak-lam (1976/Chung Chi/Sociology) back to his alma mater for a series of interactive activities with students, staff and alumni soon after his retirement from the position of Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority.
In the opening ceremony held on 3 October, Mr. Chan gave a keynote speech entitled ‘Crossroads in Life’. He looked back on his career and talked about how he tackled the crises and challenges along the way. ‘Hard work is no guarantee to success; yet failure is definite should you choose to give up,’ he said.
That night, he returned to Ming Hua Tang in Chung Chi College, the residential hall he lived in during his university years, and took a walk down memory lane. The younger residents heard how he used to attend classes on the grass, debate philosophy with his classmates, read all kinds of literatures and study abroad, all of which have made him who he is today.
The next day, he suited up for a morning talk with engineering students about the innovation and challenges brought by FinTech to the financial sector, and for an evening class where he imparted to business students some rules and habits for a successful career. In between, he changed into purple jerseys and played a basketball match with students, staff, and alumni from different years and Colleges. Mr. Chan, who was a sports enthusiast, said the game conjured up fond memories of his good old days.
This article was originally published in No. 545, Newsletter in Oct 2019.