Hong Kong, 16 November 2023: Our Foreign Legal Consultant Pádraig Seif was honoured to give the vote of thanks to Chief Executive John Lee at today’s Joint Business Community Luncheon. The event, attended by hundreds of guests at the Island Shangri-La in Admiralty, is a traditional gathering in which Hong Kong’s leader provides insights into his most recent Policy Address to members of the business sector.
Speaking in his role as President of the Irish Chamber of Commerce, Pádraig quoted an old Irish proverb, “A good start is half the work”, in appraising the Chief Executive’s impact since taking office in July last year and said his second Policy Address, unveiled last month, had delivered “much needed initiatives for the further growth of Hong Kong”.
In his speech to the lunch gathering, John Lee outlined the key priorities set out in his Policy Address, beginning by announcing: “After a few challenging years, Hong Kong is not only back on the world stage, we are on the centre stage of the world now.” He noted that in recent weeks, “a series of mega-scale and international events have drawn a variety of policymakers, game-changers and talents from around the world to Hong Kong”.
The Chief Executive highlighted last week’s second Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit, Hong Kong Legal Week, Hong Kong FinTech Week and the return of the Hong Kong Open golf tournament as examples. He remarked: “The vibrant scenes of inbound tourism and private consumption, in no small part bolstered by our mega events, have given a solid boost to the local economy.”
He concluded his 15-minute speech with a plea to the business community to support the District Council election on 10 December, observing that “many of the 399 candidates are from the commerce and industry circles, and they are as keen as you and me, in paving way for a better Hong Kong”.
Pádraig, who joined BC&C in 2021, is admitted as a German Rechtsanwalt as well as an English Solicitor. Through his various positions with major international law firms and in-house roles in Frankfurt, Singapore and Hong Kong he has in-depth experience in investment funds, asset management, international commercial transactions and corporate law as well as tax structuring.
