Danny Lai named new Hong Kong Golf Association chief executive officer
Former Cricket Hong Kong general manager replaces the departed Tom Phillips
Former Cricket Hong Kong general manager Danny Lai Yee-june has replaced Tom Phillips as the new chief executive officer of the Hong Kong Golf Association.
Phillips, whose departure after three years was announced in August, is credited with improving the financial stability of the Hong Kong Golf Association (HKGA) as well as the face of their “brand,” “communications,” and “international reputation.”
Lai takes over at the end of a breakthrough year for golf in Hong Kong after amateur Tiffany Chan Tsz-ching represented the city in Rio de Janeiro as the sport made a successful return to the Olympic Games, and also a day after another thrilling edition of the Hong Kong Open at Fanling.
“2016 is an exciting year for golf, with it returning to the Olympics, and it is even more exciting to have a local-bred player from Hong Kong competing in it. Yet this is only the beginning,” said Lai.
“I would like to thank our current sponsors who have been supporting our initiatives and sharing our beliefs.
“We at the HKGA will continue to do our utmost to serve the game, its players and all who follow it here.”
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Lai has been involved in the Hong Kong sporting administrative set-up since joining the then Jubilee Sports Centre which was later renamed as the Hong Kong Sports Institute in 1989 and spending 11 years in the commercial department, leaving in 2000 as the Commercial Operations Manager.
He then spent 10 years at the then Hong Kong Cricket Association and helped obtain funding from the government’s Mega Event Fund, the Sir David Trench Fund, the Asian Cricket Council, and the International Cricket Council to facilitate various events and development programmes.
Lai stepped down in 2012, but was elected lifetime vice president to honour his contributions to cricket in Hong Kong, and it is a position he still holds.
He has since worked with the Chinese Taipei Cricket Association and most recently as general secretary of the Hong Kong Amateur Hockey Club.
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“As a keen amateur golfer myself, it is an honour to be part of the HKGA professional team. I have to thank my wife who bought me my first set of clubs. Whenever I golfed in exotic places like Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, the Middle East, Nepal and Sri Lanka, I never dreamed that golf would one day become my career,” added Lai.
“I am extremely fortunate to have the support of an excellent executive committee and a team of highly motivated and professional staff. I hope to continue and build upon all the great work done by the HKGA up to now.”
