The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust is to host its second Philanthropy for Better Cities Forum this coming September, following the strongly positive response to the inaugural 2016 event, which attracted some 1,000 thought leaders and delegates from 17 countries and more than 50 prominent speakers, including Professor Michael Porter of Harvard Business School and Pony Ma, Chairman and CEO of Tencent. This year, renowned political philosopher Professor Michael Sandel from Harvard University will be a keynote speaker.

As the only event of its kind in Asia to be focused on metropolitan social issues, the Forum will provide an unrivalled opportunity to exchange views on these issues for all those interested in the latest developments in philanthropy and charitable work, including NGOs, family and corporate foundations, thought leaders, social entrepreneurs, policy makers and academia.

Professor Sandel, who is the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Government at Harvard University, will engage the audience with inspiring dialogue on the moral limits of markets and market mechanisms, and the right things to do for addressing metropolitan social issues. Other confirmed speakers include Hong Kong Monetary Authority Chief Executive Norman Chan, The Boston Foundation President and CEO Paul Grogan, Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo President and CEO Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker, and Asian Venture Philanthropy Network CEO Naina Batra.

The 2018 Forum will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 20 and 21 September. It will focus on five themes: Leveraging the Market, Sustainable Development, Maximising Impact, Youth and Creativity, and Health and Well-being. Through two keynote presentations, four plenary sessions and over ten breakout discussions over the two days, delegates will be able to explore innovative ways in which different sectors can create social impact, drawing on international case studies with additional flavour from the perspective of Greater China.

Places can now be reserved through the Forum website at www.citiesphilanthropy.com, at the special “early bird” price of HK$2,120 per person until 30 June 2018.  The regular full price thereafter is HK$2,500. For enquiries or further information, please e-mail pbcforum@hkjc.org.hk.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class racing club that acts continuously for the betterment of our society. The Club has a unique integrated business model, comprising racing and racecourse entertainment, a membership club, responsible sports wagering and lottery, and charities and community contribution. Through this model, the Club generates economic and social value for the community and supports the Government in combatting illegal gambling. In 2016/17, the Club’s total direct return to the community was HK$30.5 billion. It is Hong Kong's largest single taxpayer, one of the city’s major employers and one of the world's top ten charity donors. The Club is always "riding high together for a better future" with the people of Hong Kong.