Nellie Fong

Nellie Fong Wong Kut-man, GBS, JP is a Hong Kong politician and chartered accountant.

Early life and education

She was born and raised in Hong Kong and studied at the Belilios Public School before leaving Hong Kong for the United Kingdom in 1968 to study accountancy. She is currently a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, a fellow member of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants,^[1] and a member of the UK's Chartered Institute of Taxation.

Professional career

Fong returned to Hong Kong in 1973 and worked as a professional accountant. She became a partner of [Arthur Andersen & Co] in 1981 and from 2002 to 2007, when PricewaterhouseCoopers acquirred Arthur Andersen in China, became Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers' China Operations.^[2] She retired in July 2007.

Political career

Fong was a member of the Urban Council and District Board from 1983–1989, and a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council of Hong Kong from 1988-1991. She was appointed a Justice of Peace 1988. In 1992, she was the among the first batch of Hong Kong Affairs Advisors to the Chinese Government.

Between 1993 and 1997, Fong served as a member of the Preparatory Committee (transition team organised by the Chinese Central Government) on Hong Kong's Transfer of Sovereignty to China and Fong was the Convenor of the Economic Subgroup.^{[citation needed]}

In 1995, Fong organized the Better Hong Kong Foundation and was Chairman of the Executive Committee from 1995-2001.^[3]

From 1977-2002, Fong was appointed by Mr. C. H. Tung, the first Chief Executive of HKSAR to be a member of the HKSAR Executive Council from January 1997- June 2002.^[4]

Since 1999 Fong has assisted the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council in the training of leaders of Important Key State-owned Enterprises and had helped many state-owned enterprises to get listed overseas.^[5]

In 2003 and 2008, Fong became a member of the 10th and 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference ('CPPCC').^[6]

Charitable contributions

In 1996, Fong founded a charity project called Lifeline Express - a hospital eye-train which travels to remote areas of Mainland China to provide free surgical operations to blind cataract patients.^[7] Fong is the Founding Chairman of the Lifeline Express Hong Kong Foundation.^{[citation needed]}

In 2002, Fong organised the Chinese Foundation for Lifeline Express, a charity incorporated in China and of which she is the Executive Vice Chairman.^{[citation needed]} Between 1997 and 2008, over 87,000 cataract patients had received free operations. There are now four eye-trains continuously shuttling between rural areas in Mainland China operating on over 14,000 cataract patients each year.^{[citation needed]}

In 2005 Fong saw the need for training eye-doctors in less developed areas in Mainland China. She then started building a network of Microsurgical Eye Training Centers in the less developed provinces. Continuous training is being conducted within this network through telemedicine, the use of wet laboratories and a training website, lxlearn.com.^[8]

As there were no common examinations for specialist doctors in China, Fong convinced the International Council of Ophthalmology to introduce its examinations to China in Chinese and she worked with the Chinese Medical Examination Center to hold the ICO exams in 14 locations in China in 2009.^{[citation needed]} Additionally, she has established an Awards System for the top three candidates in the ICO examinations and a Scholarship Fund to assist eye-doctors who have passed the ICO examinations to go overseas on a Fellowship program.^{[citation needed]}

Awards and honours

Fong was awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star in 1999.^[9] She received the first 'Chinese Individual Charity Award' in 2005 issued by China's Ministry of Civil Affairs,^[10] the '2006 Award of China's Top 10 Individuals from Industry and Commerce' issued by CPPCC's joint Committee on Education, Science, Culture, Health and Sports,^[11] and in November 2008 the "Outstanding Individual Award on Charity" issued by China's Ministry of Civil Affairs.^[12]

In December 2008, Fong received the Clinton Global Initiative Award from President Clinton for her effort in the relief of cataract blindness in rural areas of Mainland China.^[13]

References

1. ^ Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants "Composition of Committees", 2000-01-25
2. ^ "Mainland CEO delegation visits Hong Kong for CEO Forum", Invest HK, 2005-06-15.
3. ^ Ian McCabe, Pat Ford. " Chinese officials tell business leaders that Hong Kong's economic role to expand post-1997", Business Wire, 1996-01-19.
4. ^ "Appendix 1 Chapter 2: Constitution and Administration - The Executive Council", Hong Kong Government Year Book, 2002-01-22.
5. ^ "李荣融会见香港方氏基金主席方黄吉雯女士", State Own Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, 2008-08-13.
6. ^ "Committee Profile (Chinese Only)", National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
7. ^ Lifeline Express "Story of the Eye-Train", Lifeline Express Training Web, 2003-02
8. ^ D. S. C. Lam and C. C. Y. Tham. "Ophthalmology in Hong Kong", British Journal of Ophthalmology, 2003-02
9. ^ HKSAR "1999 Honours List", HKSAR Government Press Release, 1999-07-01
10. ^ "'Chinese Individual Charity Award'", Ministry of Civil Affairs, 2005. Retrieved on 2008-12-03.
11. ^ Jing, Mao "中国十大系列英才", CCTV, 2007-02-07.
12. ^ Shandong Charity Federation. "2008 Outstanding Individual Award on Charity ", Ministry of Civil Affairs, 2008-12-08.
13. ^ " Train, Equip, and Support: Improving Microscopic Eye Surgery", Clinton Global Initiative

External links

• Lifeline Express Learn Web
• Lifeline Express Hong Kong Foundation
• Lifeline Express China (Chinese Only)
• Story of the Eye-Train

Persondata
Name	Fong Wong Kut-man, Nellie
Alternative names
Short description	Hong Kong politician and chartered accountant
Date of birth
Place of birth	Hong Kong
Date of death
Place of death