Sir Gordon Wu Ying-Sheung

Doctor of Laws honoris Causa

Citation

Sir Gordon Y S Wu is one of the founders of Hopewell Holdings and currently Chairman of the Board. As Managing Director of the group from 1972 through 2002, Sir Gordon guided Hopewell’s infrastructure projects in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Southeast Asia, and led the design and construction of numerous buildings and developments throughout Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Chinese Mainland. Today, Hopewell is one of the premier companies in Asia with active interests in property, highway infrastructure, hospitality and construction industry.

Sir Gordon graduated from Princeton University in 1958. Equipped with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering and a long-term vision for development, he returned to Hong Kong to form the Hopewell Construction Company, the predecessor to Hopewell Holdings. Sir Gordon teamed up with his father (who started Hong Kong’s first taxi fleet) to build the real estate development company until his father retired in 1969. In order to secure funds for the growth of  the company, Sir Gordon convinced his father to back a HK$15 million bank loan, which he ended up repaying in just 7 years after many successful commercial, residential and industrial property developments.

In addition to real estate development, Sir Gordon Wu has also become synonymous with infrastructure development. He envisioned the PRC’s vast potential early on, and ventured into China shortly after Mr Deng Xiaoping announced the Open Door Policy. “I went forward because I knew that Hong Kong's future was tied to the future of China, whether we liked it or not,” he said. In 1979, he recognized the need for developed infrastructure for the modernization of the country and the growth of its economy. He focused early on developing the Pearl River Delta region and built the first modern expressway in China in the early 1990s, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen super-highway. The proof of Sir Gordon’s theory that China needed a transportation network now lies in the country’s 40,000 km of super-highways, second only to the United States.

Today, Hopewell continues to be active in the Pearl River Delta region, with active and completed projects in Guangzhou, Shunde and Zhuhai, and plans to develop new expressway, tunnel and bridge infrastructure projects in the area. A series of bridges and tunnels connecting Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau, which Sir Gordon had lobbied for since 1983, was approved in 2005 by the Central Government in Beijing.

Yet Sir Gordon’s vision for developing infrastructure encompasses much more than just Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. His buildings, power stations, super-highways and bridges can also be found in the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. A series of energy infrastructure investments in the Philippines led former President Fidel Ramos to call Sir Gordon “the man who turned the lights on.” In 1997, Sir Gordon was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George by the Queen of England for services to British exports.

Aside from a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit, Sir Gordon’s parents also instilled in him the value of education. Eager for others around the world to enjoy the benefits of an education at his alma mater, Sir Gordon made his first gift to Princeton in 1981, establishing the Gordon Wu ’58 Professorship of Chinese Studies. His contributions over the years include additional professorships, funds for a materials science lab and Wu Hall, a dining facility in one of the school’s residential colleges. Sir Gordon’s generosity culminated in completing a US$100 million pledge to Princeton’s School of Engineering and Applied Science in 1995, which at the time was the largest donation in the school’s history. Sir Gordon’s gifts to Princeton now total more than US$118 million, and reach students all across campus. 

In addition to Princeton, Sir Gordon’s kindness has also reached the University of Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. In honor of his father, Sir Gordon established the Wu Chung Scholarship Fund with a gift of CDN$1 million. The fund supports students with outstanding academic achievements and leadership potential from Huadu, his ancestral hometown in the region of Guangzhou. Sir Gordon, who spent a year studying in Winnipeg before Princeton, said “My wish is for the students of Huadu to dedicate themselves to their studies in Canada so they might return with both a university degree and a wealth of knowledge of a larger world.”  The Wu family and Sir Gordon also made significant donations to the following universities in Hong Kong: The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, Lingnan University, Hong Kong Baptist University, and The Hong Kong Institute of Education.

For his contributions to Hong Kong, Sir Gordon received the Gold Bauhinia Star from the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in 2004. He is a member of the Commission on Strategic Development of the Hong Kong SAR, a member of the Hong Kong Logistic Development Council, advisor to the Urban Renewal Authority, member of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Vice President of the Hong Kong Real Estate Developer’s Association and former Chairman of the University Council of both The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and City University of Hong Kong.

Sir Gordon has served, for many years, as a member of the Business Advisory Council to the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank and a member of the APEC Business Advisory Council. He was named International CEO of the Year by George Washington University in 1996 and Leader of the Year in the Business/Finance category by the Sing Tao Daily and The Standard in 2003.  He has received honorary doctorate degrees from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the University of Strathclyde and the University of Edinburgh in the UK.

Sir Gordon has also been awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of the City of New Orleans in the United States, the Cities of Guangzhou, Shunde, Nanhai, Shenzhen and Huadu in the PRC, as well as the Province of Quezon in the Philippines.

Mr Chancellor, Sir Gordon is one of Hong Kong's pre-eminent businessmen and philanthropists, whose leadership and generosity extends beyond Hong Kong to reach people and students around the world. May I now present Sir Gordon Wu to you for the award of the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa.