Reports & Articles 2019

Matters of the Heart

18/04/2019: Gleneagles

Coronary heart disease is on the rise among younger patients. The radial approach, which minimises injury and involves a short hospital stay, is now the preferred treatment.

Click here to read the full article by Dr. Tse Tak Sun, Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and Honorary Consultant in Cardiology, Gleneagles Hong Kong Hospital

Hong Kong: The Place to Be

11/04/2019: InvestHK

Recent surveys of international businesses in Hong Kong indicate that the city is more of a magnet than ever for multinationals and start-ups as new regional economic development strategies take shape.

Stephen Phillips, Director-General of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong talks about Hong Kong's growth, with the Belt and Road Initiative and the Greater Bay Area development being key economic development strategies contributing to this.

Click here to read the full article. 

Colliers Insights | Hong Kong's Expanding Railway Links with the GBA

14/03/2019: Colliers

When the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link opened in 2018, Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Station became the city’s first link to China’s high-speed railway system, with great implications for Hong Kong and its role within the GBA. In Colliers latest Insights publication, they explore how future planned rail links between Hong Kong and other major cities in the GBA, as well as future extensions of the China Railways High-Speed system, will have some extraordinary, and in some cases, unanticipated knock-on effects impacting both Hong Kong’s metro and railway systems and its larger urban development.
 
To read the full report and gain new strategic insights click here.


Sainsbury’s/Asda and the CMA - A statement of intent pre-Brexit

13/03/2019: Eversheds Sutherland

On 21 and 20 February 2019 respectively the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published its Provisional Findings and a Notice of Possible Remedies (Notice) in its phase 2 review of the anticipated merger between J Sainsbury PLC and Asda Group Ltd. The CMA has provisionally found that the anticipated merger raises “extensive competition concerns” and that even significant divestments may not be effective at addressing these issues. Specifically, the UK regulator has found that the proposed merger could:

  • increase prices for in-store and online supply of groceries and at the parties’ petrol filling stations;
  • lead to a poorer shopping experience; and
  • reduce the range and quality of products on offer

Although the CMA’s findings are only provisional at this stage, they are a significant statement of intent by the CMA. The Provisional Findings and Notice are not only reported to possibly jeopardise the Sainsbury’s Asda transaction but also potentially have repercussions for the CMA’s future approach to retail and consumer deals.

Eversheds Sutherland has prepared a briefing that considers some of the key consequences of the CMA’s Provisional Findings both for future deals and also for the CMA as it seeks to boost its global profile prior to Brexit.

Click here to read the full briefing

Tokenising Real Estate

21/02/2019: Colliers

The recent introduction of security tokens means retail investors will have direct access to different commercial real estate asset types.

Philip Pang, Associate Director at Colliers International says "the idea is to solve some of the key problems investors and property developers face when investing in commercial real estate, primarily the limited access, the fees imposed by third parties, and the lack of transparency and liquidity."

Click here to read the full article

Forward Thinking for Tomorrow’s World

15/02/2019: Stamford American School

The fast pace of change in the world of technology is disrupting business models. At Stamford American School, the emphasis is on instilling critical thinking into the minds of pupils.

Karrie Dietz, Head of School at Stamford American School in Hong Kong talks about how they are equipping their students not only with skills in STEM, but also a mindset for innovation.

Click here to read the full article

2019 Asia Risk Assessment

11/02/2019: Steve Vickers Associates

Click here to read the full report

The Workspace of the Future

08/02/2019: The Executive Centre

Flexible space is generating plenty of conversation about new ways of working, but demographic, cultural, and corporate evolutions are the real agents of change at work.

Todd Liipfert, Senior Development Director of Expansion at The Executive Centre talks about what your future "office" will look like.

Click here to read the full article

From Trade War to Cold War?

30/01/2019: Steve Vickers Associates

While the US-China trade war truce is good news for exporters, companies must act now to implement contingency plans should relations sour once again.

Kit Dawnay, Country Head, Singapore Director of Research at SVA Group looks at how businesses should respond in order to protect themselves from geopolitical risks.

Click here to read the full article

Design the Future, Create Tomorrow

24/01/2019: Department for International Trade, Hong Kong

Creativity and design are increasingly influencing the way we live, work, and play.

Paul McComb, Director of General Trade & Investment at the UK's Department for International Trade (DIT), talks about how the Great British Design campaign is helping businesses evaluate how they can build a successful creative economy.

Click here to read the full article

Parliament Voted! What’s Next for Brexit?

23/01/2019: Eversheds Sutherland

The Chamber held a breakfast briefing in partnership with Eversheds Sutherland. Ros Kellaway and Adam Ferguson provided a detailed picture of the implications of Parliament’s rejection of Mrs May’s proposed package; the prospects for the upcoming parliamentary votes, the remaining options for Brexit arrangements, and the practical implications for Hong Kong businesses and investors with interests in the UK.

Key concerns surrounding the deal include:

  • No unilateral exit from the Irish backstop
  • Remaining in or leaving the Customs Union
  • Continued indirect EU Court of Justice jurisdiction and EU’s continued ability to impose rules on UK
  • UK’s ability to enter into free trade agreements
  • Paying €39bn but no guarantee of a trade deal

There are a number of possible outcomes, such as leaving without a deal, amending the withdrawal agreement, MP’s implementing a new motion for a second referendum, “Norway for Now”, Canada Plus, or delaying or revoking Article 50.

But as things stand, the default position is for the UK to leave the EU on 29th March 2019 with no deal. As such, one thing that is clear from this morning’s discussion is that businesses should start their contingency planning for a hard Brexit, if they haven’t already.

Click here to download the presentation

The Truth About Fads and Quick Fixes

17/01/2019: Pinnacle Performance

A rise in obesity has been mirrored by an increase in quick-fix diet and fitness plans. But nothing works better than good, old-fashioned healthy eating and regular exercise. 

We go 'back to the basics' with Matt Jacob, Director at Pinnacle Performance in Hong Kong, as he shares his advice on not only how to become healthy, but to ensure you can be maintain it easily and effectively in the long term.

Click here to read the full article

SPARK: The Science and Art of Creativity

10/01/2019: British Council

A new British Council Festival of Ideas aims to spark the creativity of our young people of today, our innovators and leaders of tomorrow.

SPARK is a place for debate, inspiration and visionary thinking. A Festival of Ideas, it takes place at Tai Kwun, Hong Kong’s new Centre for Heritage and Arts, from 18-20 January. With more than 30 events over three days and 50 creative and education partners from the UK and Hong Kong, SPARK will open eyes and ears with interactive experiences, provocative performances, stimulating talks, installations, exhibitions and other innovative happenings.

Click here to read the full article

Me, My Life, My Wallet - What’s really driving consumers’ decisions?

07/01/2019: KPMG

For organisations faced with an already demanding consumer with rising expectations, KPMG’s global research provides a fresh approach to help understand the complex, underlying and interconnected drivers of human decision-making.

Click here to read the full article

EU prepares for a “managed” no deal Brexit

03/01/2019: Eversheds Sutherland

On 19 December 2018, the European Commission (“Commission”) announced that it started implementing its “no deal” contingency action plan, as a result of the uncertainty about whether the UK will approve the Withdrawal Agreement next month. It published a new package of 14 measures to prepare for a “managed” no deal Brexit, which it says are “absolutely necessary to protect the vital interests of the EU and where preparedness measures on their own are not sufficient”.  The measures are limited to specific areas including financial services, air transport, customs and climate policy, amongst others, and are to be time-limited.

Click here to read the full report