Optimising Hong Kong’s ongoing transformation into a smart and sustainable city requires the right combination of governance, support, collaboration and talent. In this podcast series, KPMG discusses key focus areas that will drive the city’s smart journey over the next decade with key industry players.
Episode #9: Towards Net Zero
Hong Kong has committed to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 in its Climate Action Plan released in October 2021. KPMG’s Julian Vella and Eli Konvitz, Director, Planning and Urban Design for Atkins, discuss opportunity areas to achieve the city’s net zero targets, and how the government and businesses can work together to reduce energy consumption, improve waste management, reduce vehicle emissions, and retrofit buildings to make them more sustainable.
Interview recorded in October 2021.
Episode #8: Regenerating Hong Kong
Underutilised or decaying urban areas can affect the liveability, sustainability and economic performance of a city. The process of urban regeneration is complex as a result of a combination of factors, including the need to secure financial resources to fund the renewal as well as balancing the needs of a diverse range of stakeholders. KPMG’s Julian Vella and Tiffany Lau, Executive Director and Head of Urban Ecosystems, Asia Pacific for JLL, discuss approaches to achieving successful urban regeneration outcomes in Hong Kong, drawing on lessons learned from other major cities.
Episode #7: A circular conversation
Creating a circular economy involves reimagining products and commercial operations so that more resources can be reused, rather than wasted. KPMG’s Julian Vella and Helga Vanthournout, Founder of Wealth of Flows Consulting, discuss how circular economy principles can work in the context of cities, and how these principles could be applied to make Hong Kong more environmentally sustainable while providing economic benefits for residents.
Episode #6: Our links to the world, Part 2: ASEAN
With a population of over 650 million, the ASEAN region is one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the world, as well as one of Hong Kong’s most important trade and investment partners and a rich source of talent for businesses based in the city. KPMG’s Julian Vella and Ben Simpendorfer, CEO, Silk Road Associates, explore the current relationship between Hong Kong and ASEAN markets and how ASEAN can help companies in Hong Kong and elsewhere in the Greater Bay Area to improve supply chain resilience.
Interview recorded in August 2021.
Episode #5: Demystifying 5G
5G technology will deliver greater communications connectivity, reliability, capacity and speed, thereby accelerating the pace of digital transformation and creating the potential for a vast number of smart city applications. KPMG’s Julian Vella and Kenny Koo, CEO and Executive Director, Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings Limited, discuss the advantages of 5G over current 4G technology, the current status of 5G deployment in Hong Kong, some of the potential applications 5G will enable and as well as further investment required to unlock this potential.
Episode #4: Cities as change makers
80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions – from infrastructure services used and resources and goods consumed to waste produced – are associated with cities. Achieving net-zero targets will require public and private sector organisations in multiple sectors to co-ordinate and collaborate. KPMG’s Julian Vella and Anne Kerr, Managing Director, Greater China and Global Head of Cities at Mott MacDonald explore how cities can steer society and industry onto a pathway that is greener, more socially inclusive, and more sustainable.
Episode #3: Our links to the world
Hong Kong’s connections to the rest of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) provide it with access to a hyper-connected industrial and consumer market of over 70 million people and an economy worth over US$1.5 trillion. KPMG’s Julian Vella speaks with Mark Slade, Managing Director for Hong Kong and Macao, DHL Global Forwarding, on the future of GBA as a global logistics hub and how the GBA can improve supply chain resilience for businesses across region.
Episode #2: To another world
“The Final Frontier” – space, is becoming increasingly accessible. Recent investment in space technology by both the public and private sector has brought about greater awareness of the possibilities for scaling up space travel and the potential benefits for scientific research as well as commercial enterprises. KPMG’s Julian Vella, Dr. Gregg Li of Orion Astropreneur Space Academy (OASA) and Prof. Quentin Parker, Director, Laboratory for Space Research at the University of Hong Kong discuss the major imperatives for investment in space exploration and the expected societal and economic benefits of space research for Hong Kong, the region and globally.
Episode #1: Hong Kong’s digital city ecosystem
A well-developed digital ecosystem is critical for Hong Kong as it searches for ways to improve liveability and sustainability and drive economic growth in coming years. KPMG’s Julian Vella and Jimalyn Yao, Head of Digital Hub, Siemens Advanta Solutions, discuss the future role of AI, robotics and blockchain technologies in city operations, and also how Hong Kong can serve as a testing ground for mainland-China based technology solutions for the international market.
Interview recorded in August 2021.