Main Programme

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In a period marked by widening inequality, growing social needs and increasing fiscal pressure on public funding, the relationship between wealth, finance and philanthropy is evolving. How capital is organised and deployed is increasingly shaping not only economic outcomes, but also our collective ability to address pressing social challenges.

In this context, Charles Li will share perspectives on how financial innovation and market infrastructure can expand the ways in which capital contributes to tangible societal outcomes. The discussion will consider how strategic philanthropy, impact-focused investment and innovative financing structures are beginning to bridge traditional boundaries between charitable giving and private capital—and what this means in practice for funders and frontline organisations alike.

Drawing on Hong Kong’s position as a leading international financial centre—with deep capital markets, strong global connectivity and a growing family office ecosystem—the session will explore how different forms of capital can work in a more complementary way. At its core, the session will examine how existing systems and emerging approaches can direct more capital towards long-term societal priorities, while maintaining the discipline and scale needed to deliver meaningful impact.

For decades, Asia’s economic growth and youthful demographics made it feasible for governments to finance social services from cradle to grave. Today, that model is no longer sustainable. Ageing populations and shrinking labour forces mean governments can no longer afford the rising costs and demands for social services. This has put the quality and continuation of essential social services at risk.

As an alternative source of funding, philanthropy offers distinctive strengths for addressing that problem. It is catalytic, innovative, and experimental, helping to derisk investments through longer term funding. Realising its full potential requires strategic thinking and deep collaboration across sectors to identify how public, private and philanthropic resources can best complement one another.

This session will explore the roles and boundaries of philanthropy, governments, markets and society in financing social services, and their evolving impacts.

Around the world, sport’s social impact depends on the strength of its institutions—its federations, clubs and businesses—to govern, collaborate, and uphold trust at scale. This session explores what responsible, future ready leadership might look like when these sports organisations widen participation and strengthen communities.

Moving beyond single-programme success, the discussion examines the bigger picture of sport in society and how that can be advanced through institutional levers, such as transparent governance, system safeguards and integrity, cross sport standards, and pathways for athletes, coaches, and sport adjacent careers. These levers, in turn, can advance collaborative infrastructure, such as shared facilities, coach accreditation frameworks, and multi sport youth pipelines, that have the potential to scale access, build social pathways, and encourage socio-economic advancement across regions.

This session will offer a blueprint for leaders who see sport not only as competition, but as a public minded institution with a global responsibility to partner across countries and sectors and build trust, inclusion, and long term social impact.

In an era of rapid economic and technological change, how do Asia's two global cities ensure that growth translates into upward social mobility – especially for our next generation?

Social mobility remains a defining challenge for advanced economies navigating structural shifts in labour demand, demographic change and evolving skillset requirements. Youth mobility is an increasingly important dimension of this challenge, as younger generations face new barriers like shrinking jobs, skills mismatches and uncertain career pathways amid rapid technological change. While Hong Kong and Singapore share common pressures as global cities, their policy approaches to labour and wage protection, workforce resilience and opportunities for youth advancement reflect distinct institutional choices and socio-economic priorities.

This session will explore how governments can design labour market policies that both protect workers and enhance productivity, while providing ample opportunities for our next generation. It will examine the future of jobs, skills and career pathways, as well as youth mobility in an economy increasingly shaped by technological disruption. It will also consider the role of philanthropy, employers, and civil society in bridging gaps that public policy alone cannot address—particularly in supporting individuals facing barriers to workforce participation and career development.

Elite sport cultivates qualities that set top athletes apart: clarity under pressure, exacting standards, and a discipline forged through years of purposeful striving.

When that reservoir of capability is directed beyond the sporting arena, it can strengthen civic life—by anchoring trusted community leadership, raising the ceiling of what is possible, and forging pathways into sport-adjacent work, including wellness and education, media and entrepreneurship, public service, and local enterprise.

This session features three of China’s most accomplished athletes who, after retirement, have transitioned into new roles focused on giving back to society. At its core, it explores a continuum of leadership—tracing how excellence honed on one world stage can evolve to shape institutions, steward emerging talent, and widen access. It will explore how athletic leadership can be translated from sporting excellence to philanthropy, recognising sport as a strategic asset in promoting wider causes.

Economic growth does not, by itself, guarantee wider opportunity. Too often, conventional development pathways are slow to scale and uneven in who they reach. This keynote asks a more urgent question: how can countries leapfrog old pathways straight to more inclusive growth?

Drawing on examples from Asia, Africa and across the Global South, M. Hari Menon will explore how investment in the right infrastructure can help societies move further and faster, yet fairer. From digital public infrastructure, payment systems and digital identity to advances in agriculture, education and sanitation, as well as the opportunities provided by AI—foundations like these that can widen access from the start, strengthen resilience, and open more direct pathways out of poverty at scale.

But leapfrogging is not simply a matter of technology. It depends on systems that are inclusive, connected and governed for the public good, and how philanthropic capital catalyses it. At a time of demographic change, fiscal pressure and technological disruption, the challenge is not only to generate growth, but to build the underlying architecture that allows its benefits to reach those too often left behind. The session will consider how governments, philanthropy and partners can help make that possible.