Devolopment
Personal Profile of Dr. Jonathan CHOI Koon-shum
March 25, 2008
Dr. Jonathan Choi is Chairman and President of the Hong Kong-based Sun Wah Group, Chairman of Sun Wah Hi-Tech Group, Chairman of Sun Wah Media Group and Chairman of the Hong Kong-listed SW Kingsway Capital Group. Dr. Choi was educated in Hong Kong and Japan, and then started work in the lowest echelons of his family company which his vision and strong determination has propelled to the forefront of Hong Kong corporations, culminating in the globalised and diversified Sun Wah Group we see today. In its nearly 50 years of existence, Sun Wah has diversified its business into six principal areas - food and seafood, real estate, financial services, infrastructure, technology and media - and has more than 100 subsidiaries and employs over 4,000 employees over Hong Kong, Macau, Mainland China, Southeast Asia, Canada, Europe, the USA and Australia.
Dr. Choi's dedication and contribution to his home country and the society is evident in the wide range of public positions he holds. These include: Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) of the P.R.C, Honorary Consul of Democratic Republic of Congo in Hong Kong, Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Standing Committee Member of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, Economic Advisor to the President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chairman of the China-India Software Association, Chairman of the China Hong Kong Israel Technology Cooperation and Promotion Center, Founder and Chairman of the US-China Center for Research on Educational Excellence of the Michigan State University, Chairman of the Guangdong Software Outsourcing Council, Member of The Greater Pearl River Delta Business Council of HKSAR, Chairman of the China Trade Advisory Committee of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Member of the Trade and Industry Advisory Board of HKSAR, Chairman of the China Association (Hong Kong) Science and Society, Member of the Manpower Development Committee of Education and Manpower Bureau, Member of The Hong Kong Arts Development Council and Chairman of the Hong Kong Shaolin Wushu Culture Centre.
In 2005, he was conferred the Honorary Doctor of Humanities by the Michigan State University in the United States.
Dr. Choi is the founder of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Honorary Academician Foundation, the Zhongshan Sun Wah Science and Technology Institute, the Guangdong Sun Wah Education Institute, Sun Wah International Business School of Liaoning University, Guangdong University of Finance and various educational institutions in China, Hong Kong and Macau. He is also a Court or Council Member of a number of universities including Fudan University, Nanjing University, the United College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the University of Macau. In addition, he is particularly concerned with the welfare of the ethnic minority and disabled communities in China. He and his family have donated more than HK$300 million to charitable projects.
Dr. Choi has been invited to meet with former Chinese President Jiang Zemin and former Premier Zhu Rongji in appreciation of his support for educational and technological development in China.
In technological aspects, in November 2003, Dr. Choi established the "China-India Software Association" with the support from the China Ministry of Science and Technology and the India Ministry of IT industry aiming to promote bilateral cooperation between software companies in China and India. In January 2005, with support from government bodies in China and Israel, the "China Hong Kong Israel Technology Cooperation and Promotion Center" was established. The principal objective of the Center is to promote technology and business cooperation among companies in China, Hong Kong and Israel. Dr. Choi led the first Israel Technology Delegation to China visiting Beijing and Tianjin on April 2005. In education aspect, Dr. Choi announced the establishment of two education centers after the APEC Summit on Education Reform in Beijing sponsored by the Sun Wah Education Foundation in January 2004. The two centers, namely the Sunwah Center for Research on Educational Excellence in Michigan State University and the China-US Center for Advanced Educational Research in Beijing Normal University of China, devote to identify and develop effective models of education for primary and secondary schools that integrate the strengths of both Eastern and Western practices. The "3e International Kindergarten" has been established in Beijing to put the theoretical "Sun Wah Education Model" into practice.
