Tycoons to skip summit on firms' involvement in social enterprise

None of Hong Kong's major tycoons will speak at a summit today organised by the government to encourage private companies to develop social enterprise.

Their absence has fuelled criticism from the welfare and business sectors that the government is half-hearted in developing enterprises to help the poor.

The focus of social enterprises is providing jobs and services, rather than making profits.

A source close to organisers of the one-day Summit on Social Enterprise said most of the representatives from big companies would be corporate affairs or human resources executives, rather than CEOs.

According to the Home Affairs Bureau, the event organiser, the only three speakers from the business sector are public relations officers - Lee Luen-fai, public affairs director at Sun Hung Kai Properties; Wendy Tong Barnes, chief corporate affairs officer of Cheung Kong (Holdings); and Kwan Chuk-fai, general manager of corporate communication at New World Development.

The three companies had earlier reacted to government calls to help set up social enterprises by either deploying a senior employee free of charge to head an enterprise or by opening one themselves.

Some business participants attributed the lukewarm response from top management to the fact that the conference was not organised like a summit.