Cross-Sector Leader Benefiting Society: Honored as "Distinguished Alumni" by CityUHK

Full Article in Chinese

• Recipient of the 9th Distinguished Alumni Award of CityUHK
• Doctor of Business Administration, CityUHK
• Co-founder and Executive Director, EMEKO International Limited

Transitioning from Information Technology (IT) to banking, and subsequently participating in the development of AI technology, Michael has served as a senior executive across multiple multinational enterprises. As a cross-sector leader, while continuously seeking new breakthroughs, he also actively contributes to the industry and gives back to society by leveraging his professional expertise, experience, and network through various public service roles. This year, he was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award by CityUHK in recognition of his remarkable achievements in his professional field, alma mater development, and community service.

"The world is changing at an extreme speed; one must never be content with what is already known." Recalling the turning point when he transitioned from an IT consultant to a senior banking executive, Michael credited a remark from a client: "Rather than just offering advice as a consultant, why not join us and put the solutions into practice?" After careful consideration, he decided to step out of his consulting role and immerse himself in banking as an executioner who solves real problems. The insights into business model patterns gained from his previous work experience provided a solid advantage for his subsequent cross-sector transformations.

Michael's cross-sector journey is not limited to working in IT R&D and consulting for various large enterprises before transitioning into senior management at different banks; his footprints span across the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, the US, and Australia, cultivating a rich international perspective. He candidly shared that he feels equipped with an internal "radar" keenly attuned to opportunities, prompting him to courageously accept new challenges. He reinterpreted Steve Jobs’ famous quote, "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish," into his own personal motto: "Stay Curious, Stay Humble," which guides him to continuously innovate and keep pace with the times.

Speaking of his experience pursuing the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) at CityUHK, Michael revealed that he once experienced confusion during his career transition. At that time, his research on using AI to optimize banking Know Your Customer (KYC) processes hit a bottleneck. Fortunately, guidance from a DBA professor helped him realize that research does not need to obsess over traditional causal relationships, but should instead focus on developing actionable solutions that solve practical problems. This inspired his subsequent efforts to achieve innovation and pursue continuous breakthroughs in the AI field.

"My connection with CityUHK runs very deep. The most unforgettable part is maintaining a 'table tennis friendship' with a professor for over a decade, meeting on the CityUHK campus every Sunday morning." He added that while sparring on the table, the professor would share cutting-edge AI research, while he provided feedback on real industry needs. Many collaboration opportunities were sparked right across the ping-pong table. This tight interaction between academia and industry is a unique feature of the Department of Information Systems at CityUHK, ensuring technology moves beyond theoretical levels to seamlessly integrate with real business scenarios.

Having served as President of the Hong Kong Computer Society and a Board Director of Cyberport, Michael feels a heavy responsibility to attract talent to the I&T sector. Thus, he proposed the "CORE" concept as a guide for the younger generation to build their core competitiveness: "As the name suggests, C stands for Curiosity and Creativity, the engines driving innovation; O represents Open-mindedness and Optimism, meaning embracing change; R is Risk-preparedness and Resilience, turning failure into a cornerstone for success; and E stands for Enthusiasm and Entrepreneurship, encouraging youth to maintain exploratory energy without fearing risk."

"During the development of open AI technology, I traveled to the Abu Dhabi desert to test construction robots. That was a true 'extreme environment': GPS failed, maps were completely blank, and temperatures reached 40 to 50 degrees Celsius. Out there, you realize that a so-called 'desert oasis' doesn't appear out of nowhere; it stems from the continuous effort of countless people in extraordinarily tough conditions." Sharing his personal experience, Michael recalled sharing meals with local workers, which led him to realize that the ultimate goal of technology is to enhance human well-being. Through dedicated effort, many things in life that seem "impossible" can ultimately be achieved.

Michael also used the "putting" motion in golf as a metaphor for his career: "Putting looks simple, but it demands extreme focus from the golfer, as well as precise calculations of slope and distance. Driving I&T development is much the same—it requires not only precise technology, but also professional competence and the luck to seize the right timing."

In 2024, when CityUHK launched the University-wide Endowment Campaign, Professor Leung responded with unwavering support. He made a generous donation to establish the “Prof & Mrs Michael K.M. Leung Endowed Scholarship”, aimed at recognising students from the Department of Information Systems who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement and promising potential. Facing the wave of AI, Michael offered words of encouragement to junior peers at CityUHK: there is no need to worry passively about being replaced. Instead, take the initiative to adapt to the times, continuously progress alongside trends, and actively seek opportunities to collaborate and innovate with AI, keeping in mind that "The best way to predict the future is to create it."

（Published at 14 August 2026）