Schedule

Mr SUN is responsible for leading major AI initiatives including the pilot of generative AI tools in the Government, the preparation of establishment of the Hong Kong AI Research and Development Institute, managing various central AI platforms as well as guidelines on ethical use and adoption of AI. 
Besides, he also oversees the provision of “iAM Smart” as a single digital identity of Hong Kong residents for authentication in online transactions and as a single portal for online government services, and implementation of data related initiatives, including data governance principles, the open data policy, and various central data platforms.

Dr George Margelis is a medical practitioner who has been deeply involved in technology for the last 30 years. In 2019 he was appointed independent chair of the Aged Care Industry Information Technology Council. In 2024 he was appointed Chief technology Advisor for the Aged & Community Care Provider Association.
George also acts as a Digital Health Advisor with the Australian Digital Health Agency as well as a member of the Advancing Aged Care through Digital Health advisory group for the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre. He is a board member of Multicultural Care, a home care provider for the CALD community.

Mr Kenny Shui is the Vice Presidents and Executive Director of the Public Policy Institute at Our Hong Kong Foundation (OHKF).  He has extensive experience in the field of public policy and his research interests are wide-ranging, covering Economic and Technology Development, Fintech, Green Finance, Biotechnology, Gerontechnology, Art Innovation, Social Innovation and others.  In recent years, his research team has published market-leading reports in areas such as Central Bank Digital Currency, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), Green Bonds, Hong Kong-Shenzhen Biotech cooperation and Hong Kong’s Gerontech Ecosystem, contributing to Hong Kong’s development in multiple ways.

Prof Vanessa Evers is a full professor of Computer Science at the University of Twente’s Human Media Interaction group and Director of the DesignLab for multidisciplinary research. 
She serves on Program Committees of ACM/IEEE HRI, ACM SIGCHI, HSI, ACM CSCW and ACM Multimedia. Vanessa is frequently interviewed about her work on national public tv, newspapers or magazines. She won the best thesis prize awarded by the Dutch National Society of Registered Information Specialists, was co-author of the James Chen best paper award of the journal on User Modeling and User Adapted Interaction together with then her Ph.D. student Henriette Cramer. She holds the 2014 Opzij talent award. Vanessa is an editor for the International Journal of Social Robotics, she is co-chair of the ACM International Human Robot Interaction Steering Committee and Associate Editor of the Human Robot Interaction Journal.

Prof Catherine So received her Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Chicago in 2007. Then she took up the Assistant Professor Position at the National University of Singapore in 2007 and joined the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2012. She is currently a Full Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research interests lie in language and gesture development of both typically and atypically developing children and intervention for autistic children and their families. She has published over 60 journal articles and found a charitable organization that solely provides robot-based intervention in Hong Kong. Her research, teaching, and services have received local and international recognition.

Dr Yunlei Shi, Founder and CEO of Shanghai Rushen Robotics Co., Ltd., completed his doctoral studies under Professor Jianwei Zhang (Dual-Academy Academician of CAS and CAE) as his thesis supervisor. Dr Shi is one of the founders of MicroPort MedBot (a Hong Kong-listed company) and co-founder of Agile Robots.
In June 2023, he established Shanghai Rushen Robotics Co., Ltd., focusing exclusively on the health and wellness sector. Within two years of operation, the company has secured five rounds of financing. Dr Shi is promoting development of humanoid robots and driving the application of "robot as caregiver" in elderly care.

Prof Aurel K. Qian is the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer at SenseCare. She also serves as an adjunct professor at the Institute for Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Industry at Fudan University. She was recognized as the National Outstanding Leadership Figure in Hospital Informatization and a Forbes China Young Elite Returnee.
Prof Qian led the digital transformation project between 2019-2025 at Zhongshan Hospital, which was selected as the first digital transformation case in healthcare in China on “Harvard Business Review”. Her current research focuses on clinical applications of foundation models in healthcare, privacy-preserving computation, distributed multimodal data integration, and trustworthy AI.

Mr Alex Fu, from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics in International Accounting, is a vice president of Fourier Intelligence Inc. Currently, he oversees strategic project management for the Rehabilitation Robotics and General-Purpose Robotics business divisions. With around 15 years of experience in financial and strategic project management within the technology sector.
Alex previously served as Senior Manager of Audit Services at Ernst & Young (EY), where he led engagements for multiple technology giants in Hong Kong and U.S. markets.

Xuan Yong is currently a Manager with the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), Palliative and Advance Care Planning (ACP) team. He was involved in the development of the digital ACP tool which was launched in July 2025. Prior to his role in AIC, he has experience in strategic healthcare planning and clinical governance.

Chetna Malhotra is an Associate Professor and the Research Director at the Lien Centre for Palliative Care, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore. She specializes in health services research to inform the delivery of end-of-life care. She has published more than 150 scientific manuscripts focusing on patient preferences for end-of-life care, including advance care planning; and caregiving for seriously ill patients including those with dementia. She is an Associate Editor for Age and Ageing and has received the Clinician Scientist Award by Singapore’s National Medical Council for her research related to advance care planning. She mentors graduate and medical students in conducting palliative care research.

Ms Connie Ng began her social work career in 2004 at St. James’ Settlement, serving persons with disabilities and later supporting deprived groups through the People’s Food Bank. She advanced to senior leadership roles in Charity Services, overseeing family and child poverty alleviation initiatives. In 2019, she transitioned to Community Development Services, managing cultural preservation, community redevelopment, and employment support. Returning to Charity Services in 2021, she spearheaded digital transformation projects such as FOOD-CO, GOODS-CO, and CharityToday. Promoted to Deputy Chief Executive Officer in 2023, Connie now supervises a broader range of services including elderly care, community development and street sleeper support.

Dr Adriana Shnall, PhD, MSW, RSW, is Program Director of the Koschitzky Centre for Innovations in Family Caregiving at Baycrest in Toronto and Assistant Professor (Status-Only) at the University of Toronto. With over 30 years of clinical experience, she has advanced care for older adults and their families across community, long-term, and inpatient settings. A recipient of the Baycrest Outstanding Innovations Award and Stephen Herbert Award for Excellence in Education, Dr. Shnall is also a board member of the Petro-Canada CareMakers Foundation and the Ontario Caregiver Coalition. She is a respected speaker, educator, advocate, and leader in family caregiving.

Prof Lu is a gerontologist with expertise in social work, public health, and statistics. Her research interests broadly include gerontological social work, health disparity, social welfare policy related to aging, and quantitative methodology. She specializes in investigating the socioeconomic and cultural determinants of health in later life using cross-national and longitudinal survey data. She also has extensive experience in utilizing causal inference analysis to evaluate social welfare policies (e.g., elder abuse, anti-poverty, food insecurity) in China and the United States, with an ultimate goal of advancing social justice and health equity through policy advocacy.

Dr Max Zhou is a distinguished expert in the field of artificial intelligence and robotics. He obtained his Ph.D. in Mechatronics from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. As a serial entrepreneur, he has co-founded several companies in Automotive, Robotics, and Artificial Intelligence industry. The robotic and automation products he led his team to develop have received widespread recognition from top global robotic research institutions and universities. He actively promotes the application of AI technologies across various fields, contributing significantly to the industry's development.

Ms Jeehee Kim is the CEO and founder of Hyodol Co., Ltd., South Korea’s leading companion robot for seniors. Over the last seven years, over 80% of Korean cities have adopted Hyodol for senior care. Today it serves over 13,000 independent living seniors. Kim holds dual B.A. degrees in Applied Statistics from Yonsei University and in Economics from Eastern Connecticut State University. She also earned an M.S. in Aging Service Technology from Kyung Hee University. She later served at LG Group as a Six Sigma Master Black Belt (MBB) and product concept creator, experience that shapes Hyodol’s user-first, aging-friendly design.

Ms Wendy Wang currently serves at the Tencent SSV Times Lab. She initiated the application of Tencent’s AI capabilities to the security protection of elderly care services and ageing-in-place, exploring and practicing Tencent’s technological power in the Silver sector. 

Prof Carrie Ling is currently the Director of Entrepreneurship Center and the Adjunct Assistant Professor of Integrative Systems & Design (ISD) leading the entrepreneurship development at HKUST. Before joining HKUST, she had been driving the startup incubation and innovation ecosystem building specializing in technology fields from AI Robotics to healthcare technologies at HK Science Park for 5 years.

A highly experienced consultant, senior executive and company director, Bev is a recognised leader, coach, influencer and innovator.
Her success as a senior executive and leader in government roles, community organisations and private companies demonstrates her commitment to community service and excellence.
As a consultant, Bev has assisted organisations with workplace productivity coaching, communication planning, governance, strategic development and general management.
Bev splits her working life as a business coach and Executive Officer with Elder Abuse Action Australia.

Prof Laura Tamblyn Watts is widely regarded as one of the foremost global authorities on aging and longevity. As CEO of CanAge, she leads Canada’s national seniors’ advocacy organization. A lawyer and assistant professor (status) at the University of Toronto, Laura conducts research on topics including dementia, age tech, financial regulation, elder abuse, and loneliness. Her new book Let’s Talk About Aging Parents debuted as a bestseller worldwide and is now available in 9 languages across 12 countries. She frequently advises governments in Canada and internationally and has been an invited presenter at the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the International Red Cross and the Vatican.

Ms Karrie Chan is a registered social worker and currently serves as the Deputy Director (Elderly, Rehabilitation & Community) at Hong Kong Christian Service. With extensive experience in social services, she has long been committed to promoting the well-being of disadvantaged groups, including the elderly, caregivers, and culturally diverse communities. She is the convener of the Dementia Service Working Group under HKCSS’s Elderly Service Specialized Committee, collaborating with sector partners to draft the 《Dementia Carer Action Plan in Hong Kong》, aiming to foster an age-friendly and inclusive community.

Dr Dympna O'Sullivan leads the Digital Futures Research Hub at TU Dublin, an interdisciplinary hub exploring how digital technologies can positively impact individuals, society, the economy, and the environment. Her research spans AI, human-computer interaction, digital health, and accessibility, focusing on assistive technologies that promote independence and quality of life for people with dementia and intellectual disabilities. She champions person-centred AI, prioritising user experience, human values, transparency, and accountability. A strong advocate of patient and public involvement, she is recognised for expertise in transdisciplinary methods that engage stakeholders to co-create innovative, socially impactful technologies.

Cathy Treadaway PhD is Professor Emeritus at Cardiff Metropolitan University and Design Director of HUG by LAUGH Ltd. She developed Compassionate Design, an approach that helps ensure people living with advanced dementia are central to the design and innovation process.
Cathy led UK government funded research which resulted in the creation of HUG, a therapeutic comforter that has been shown to reduce anxiety, enhance communication and increase wellbeing. HUG is now available to purchase globally.
HUG by LAUGH Ltd. is partnered by Alzheimer’s Society in the UK and each HUG sold raises money for dementia research and innovation.

Dr Kenny Chui has dedicated over 20 years to addressing the needs of people with dementia and their families. As Deputy General Manager at Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing and Co-director of dementia care programme in CUHK, he contributes his expertise to academic research, training, and advocacy. Dr Chui recently developed "DemenTitude® - the 16 principles of proper caring attitude in dementia", which serves as a prospect for dementia care education and promotes proper caring attitude through local and international platforms.