Product Manager, B-Temia Inc.
Mr Eitan Anenberg is a Product Manager who promotes adoption and application of technology that enhances health and quality of life. Eitan drives product application and design initiatives for B-temia. He holds a master’s degree in Neuroscience from the University of British Columbia, having foundational training in development and implementation of robotic brain mapping tools. During Eitan’s time working in stroke and spinal cord injury research he developed a specialized understanding of the relationship between human sensation and movement. Eitan works directly with healthcare professionals to extend and advance use of robotic mobility training tools.
Director, Business Development, Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI)
Mel Barsky is Director of Business Development CABHI. He is responsible for developing and identifying new strategic partnerships and commercial opportunities that will expand the continued Canadian and international growth of CABHI, as well as leading the business development, marketing and communications functions of the organization.
Mel brings to CABHI more than 25 years of leadership experience in venture capital, healthcare IT, information technology. Most recently, Mel was President, Co-Founder, and Chief Operating Officer of INTERVENT Canada, where he directed the organization delivering evidence-based health programs via online platforms, and health coaches in clinical and corporate settings.
Mel has also served as Director, Connected Health at Dynacare Medical Laboratories, Executive Director & Co-Founder of Scotia Private Equity, and Director of Strategy & Business Development at American Express. Mel has a BA from the University of Toronto, and an MBA from Queen’s University.
Since 2012, Eldpathy has organised over 800 activities, allowing around 24,000 participants to experience how life changes with aging through the Elderly Simulation Programmes. Around 30 Elderly Instructors were trained to interact with the younger counterparts to enhance their mutual understanding.
Naiper Healhcare
Dr. Rohit manages the long term care portfolio of solutions for Napier Healthcare, a premier Singapore based healthcare IT company. He is a physician and a trained management professional with specific interests in areas of Neuropsychiatry and Geriatrics. In the past 20 years, he has worked closely with various stakeholders of the healthcare system including Hospitals, Pharmacy chains, Skilled Nursing Facilities, Payers and Care management companies. He is focused on improving care coordination in management of the elderly by leveraging Nextgen technologies that can not only improve outcomes but also reduce costs.
Full Chair Professor, Building Realization and Robotics, The Technical University of Munich, Germany
Prof Thomas Bock is the Full Chair Professor of building realization and robotics at the Technische University of Munich (TUM). Previously, he has been teaching at University of Karlsruhe for 8 years as Full Professor.
He got his education in architecture at Stuttgart University in Germany, in engineering at IIT in Chicago in USA and in construction automation and robotics at University of Tokyo in Japan. He is a member of several boards of directors of international associations and is a member of several international academies in Europe, Americas and Asia. He consulted several international ministries and evaluates research projects for various international funding institutions.
Prof Bock serves on several editorial boards, heads various working commission and groups of international research organizations, authored and co-authored about 450 articles in many different languages and since 2015 the 5 volume Construction Robotics Handbook series at Cambridge University Press.
Executive Director, Eldpathy Co. Ltd
Having been raised by his grandparents, Herman CHAN is deeply committed to improving the livelihood of the elderly in Hong Kong and promoting empathy for senior citizens is his goal. Witnessing firsthand the disconnect between the generations in today’s society, Herman set up Eldpathy, the purpose of which is to develop young people’s understanding towards seniors. Eldpathy also advocates “active ageing”, by recruiting Elderly Instructors for Elderly Simulation Programmes.
Since 2012, Eldpathy has organised over 800 activities, allowing around 24,000 participants to experience how life changes with aging through the Elderly Simulation Programmes. Around 30 Elderly Instructors were trained to interact with the younger counterparts to enhance their mutual understanding.
Director of Swallowing Research Laboratory & Assistant Professor, Division of Speech & Hearing Sciences, The University of Hong Kong
Dr Karen Chan, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Swallowing Research Laboratory at the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, The University of Hong Kong (HKU). Dr Chan’s expertise is in the field of adult voice and swallowing disorders.
Dr Chan has received over HK$4 million in competitive grants as principal investigator. Dr Chan has been actively sharing her research work in the local community by leading workshops and talks in different community settings. She has developed a knowledge exchange website, an app and booklets to promote swallowing safety awareness in the community.
Director of Business Development, The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA)
Ms Chan is experienced in textile and apparel manufacturing, sourcing and retailing. Prior to joining HKRITA, she was Division Merchandising Manager in Ralph Lauren, responsible for global sourcing, cost planning, merchandising, and material and product development. Before that, Ms Chan was with a number of global textile and apparel companies including Burlington WorldWide Limited, Esquel Group, Gap International Sourcing (Holdings) Limited and Smart Shirts Limited, responsible for global sourcing, merchandising, licensing, and research and development.
Senior Manager, Dept. of Public Affairs, Yulon Group Taiwan
Ms. Mandy, Man Hsien Chen has been working in Yulon Group for more than 15 years. As the leading car manufacturer in Taiwan, the Yulon Group emphasizes the social impacts of transportation, especially on issues such as the development of aborigine, education and prosperity in partial townships. Ms. Chen has led a series of CSR practices of transportation-based social design and innovation. In GIES2018, she is going to present a recent case study on implementing next generation accessible transportation with Yulon's first welfare vehicle, the Luxgen V7 Eco-Hyper, and her experience on promoting family accessible tourism as a wheezing service for the elderly, mobility impaired customers and their care givers. Her sharing will be a great example to see how the enterprise could work hand in hand with NPOs and social enterprises to create a sustainable business ecological system for the challenges of ageing society.
Social Media Manager, United Daily News, Taiwan
Yun-Ju Chen is the Social Media Manager of United Daily News (udn) Health Division. She is also the editor-in-chief of “The 100 questions about Dementia” and Dementia fan page, re-enforce dementia caring and increase support for dementia family. Her research interests include social media analytic, social media strategy and social media trends. Her innovation model has received the Digital Public Health Communication Award 2017; Report Award of United Daily News 2017 and she have published some papers in the ADI, ACEI, ICOI journal.
Founder & Managing Director, Ageing Asia Alliance, Singapore
Influenced by the changing needs of her elders, Janice was inspired to start Ageing Asia to drive and nurture opportunities and the development of innovation and solutions that address the evolving needs of the rising ageing population in the region. Having accumulated a vast experience from visiting over 300 residential and aged care homes from over 15 countries since starting her practice in 2009, Janice has been actively involved in consulting organisations seeking global best practices in housing, health and care models that can be translated for the Asian market. She has also been quoted regularly in the media, such as the BBC, on Asia Pacific business trends in ageing. Janice has also launched several industry initiatives, including, ASPIRE55 Singapore – Asia’s first virtual retirement village, a wellbeing community that offers a combination of social, health and care services, but enables members to continue living in their existing homes.
Occupational Therapist I, Residential Services, The Hong Kong Society for the Blind
Armstrong Chiu obtained his Bachelor Degree in Occupational Therapy from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Before joining Residential Services of the Hong Kong Society for the Blind in 2005, he has worked in Hospital Authority for 8 years. He has a wide range of clinical experiences in geriatric and psychogeriatric care service in the rehabilitation and community setting.
Mr Chiu is a specialist in Geriatric Care (Dementia), Dysphagia Management, Innovative cognitive training and low vision rehabilitation. He is particularly interested in environmental and technological adaptation for the elderly with low vision.
Manager – Social Service, The Yuen Yuen Institute, Hong Kong
Annie Chung graduated with the Master of Social Sciences in Counselling from the City University of Hong Kong, she is also a Registered Social Worker. She is now working as the Manager of the Social Service Department at the Yuen Yuen Institute.
Annie is experienced in school social service and elderly service and supervising 12 service elderly units and projects, which include Residential Elderly Homes in different care levels, Day Care Units, Neighborhood Elderly Centre, Pilot Scheme on Community Care Service Voucher for the Elderly, and Pilot Scheme on Residential Care Service Voucher for the Elderly and Resource Centre.
Head of Division, Kildemarkscentret, Naestved, Denmark
Ms Ettrup graduated in Nurse Education and Master of Public Management. She has been working in the Municipality of Naestved since 1989 in many different functions and divisions in the area of elderly care.
Through the years she has participated in a large number of projects, especially regarding planning and implementation of the assistant living concept.
Co-founder, Doctor Now Limited – DoctorNow NEEDS, Hong Kong
Dr Wilson Fung is the co-founder of the “DoctorNow NEEDS”. “Changing the way health delivers" is the vision that he created the “DoctorNow NEEDS” in 2016.
“DoctorNow NEEDS” is a home/visual consultation appointment platform for the elderly. It is not just a service, it is a revolution in the medical care of the elderly. “DoctorNow NEEDS” uses innovative information technology to match the elderly with timely, high-quality and affordable medical services.
Director, Health and Biosecurity, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia
Dr Rob Grenfell, a Public Health Physician, is the Director of CSIRO’s Health and Biosecurity Business Unit. Leading a broad portfolio covering Nutrition, eHealth, Medtech and Diagnostics and Biosecurity from weeds to Ebola. Rob has broad ranging public health experience including; National Medical Director at BUPA Australia New Zealand; National Director Cardiovascular Health at the Heart Foundation; Strategic Health Advisor to Parks Victoria; Senior Medical Advisor at the Department of Health Victoria; Physician in charge of travel health BHP; General Practice He was a member of the Safety and Quality Outcomes Committee of the Hospital Innovation Reform Council, a member of the Victorian Quality Council, Chair of General Practice Victoria, and Member of the Health Advisory Committee of the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Board Member of VIVAI Software AG; Smart Service Power, Dortmund, Germany
The computer scientist Dr. Bettina Horster is responsible for business development at the VIVAI Software AG especially in the area of Industrial Internet and the Internet of Things. She is currently heading the project “Smart Service Power - autonomous living for the elderly”, which was awarded with the RegioStars Award of the EU-Parliament, the Information Society Prize of the Diplomatic Council ( a United Nations NGO) and was finalist of the World Society World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) of the United Nations. She is in the Digital Advisory Board of the Minister for Economy of NRW. For many years she advised the German Ministry of Economic.
Dr. Horster studied computer science in Germany and the United States (University of Dortmund and University of California, Berkeley) and she holds a PhD from the University of Münster in the Department of Business Administration.
Director, Gerontechnology Research Centre, Yuan Ze University, Taiwan
Prof Yeh-Liang Hsu received his Bachelor Degree from the National Taiwan University and was conferred PhD by Stanford University in 1992.
He is concurrently Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of Gerontechnology Research Centre at Yuan Ze University; CEO of Seda G-Tech Co., Ltd.; Editor-in-Chief for “Gerontechnology’ and “Journal of Gerontechnology and Service Management”; Sinophone Chapter President and IT Director of International Society for Gerontechnology (ISG), as well as Co-Director for Italian Design Summer School of the University of Bologna.
Prof Hsu is a renowned academic in Gerontechnology and has been the Dean of Academic Affairs and Secretary General at Yuan Ze University. He is actively involved in the ISG and has chaired the 9th World Conference of Gerontechnology and was previously the Vice President of ISG.
Prof Hsu’s research interests include innovative product design and gerontechnology.
Professor, Department of Neurology, Taipei Medical University Shuang Ho Hospital, Taiwan
Professor Chaur-Jong Hu, a neurologist, is vice superintendent and director of Dementia Center in Taipei Medical University, Shuang Ho Hospital in New Taipei City, Taiwan. He established an acute dementia ward for the dementia patients who are difficultly cared in general wards with the support from Taiwan Government. A lot of clinical researches are ongoing there. He also is a key member of New Taipei Dementia network led by New Taipei City Government. The network integrates medical and social, public and private resources, and penetrates from community to medical centers to promote the dementia care in New Taipei City.
CEO, Abilities Care-net Incorporated, Japan
Mr Itoh suffered Polio when he was one-year old, Mr Itoh established Japan Abilities Association (NPO) in April 1966 after graduating from Waseda University. In June 1966, he started a company operated “by the disabled, for the disabled”. Started off as a printing company, the corporation expanded to the development, sales, import/export of the equipment for the disabled and the operation of facilities for the elderly and the disabled. In 2001, Mr Itoh started the National Network for JDA (Japanese with Disabilities Act) with other groups for the disabled. The law was later enacted in June 2013. Mr Itoh is the Chairperson of Japan Abilities Association and Guest Professor for Wenjing College of Yantai University, he was also awarded medals of Honor by the Prime Minister of Japan in 1987, by the Prince Henrik of Denmark in 2001 and received Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards, USA in 2016.
Founder and Partner , Copenhagen Living Lab, Denmark
Thomas Hammer-Jakobsen is the founder and lead partner of Copenhagen Living Lab. The Lab, founded in 2006, is specialized in age and health innovation. The mission is to support transformation towards genuine preventive and sustainable healthcare systems and to reinvent and unleash the values associated with coming of age.
Thomas has overseen major innovation and business development projects in the Nordics, Europe and China. Thomas is acting project-director for the Health Innovation Fund of Region Zealand. He is the co-author of the book “Connect – design for an empathic society”. Prior to the establishment of Copenhagen Living Lab Thomas hold positions as media executive and head of innovation for more than 20 years.
Founder, CEO and President, Dental Support Co. Ltd, Japan
Dr Ikuo Kantake is the leader of DS Healthcare Group, the pioneer of home-visit dental care and one of the largest dentistry groups in Japan. Dr Kantake was born in 1957 in Tokyo. He graduated from Nihon University Graduate School of Dentistry with Ph.D. in 1986, Dr Kantake has established his first practice in 1987 with subsequently created a dental laboratory in 1990 and IKUEI-Kai Medical Incorporated Association in 1991. In 1997, Dr Kantake became the first ever dentist in Japan to start rendering professional home-visit dental treatment.
To further uphold Japan’s aging society, Dr Kantake has extended his business activities from dental care to medical and nursing care with medical clinics and total rehabilitation centers were established in different regions of Japan. In 2012, the system of companies led by Dr Kantake started to provide "one stop” dental, medical and nursing care. Now, he is also working on to extend his holistic services to other part of the world.
Executive Vice President, HUR, Finland
Ms Lena Karjaluoto, iMBA, graduated from the University of Vaasa. She is the Executive Vice President at company HUR in Finland and has many years of experience in the healthcare technology field.
Ms Karjaluoto has been actively part of the research team at WELMED LABs, Health Science Unit, Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius, Finland. WELMED is a test laboratory for assessment of physical functions and balance. The measurements are made with HUR muscle strength and HUR Labs balance measuring equipment. HUR has more than 10 000 installations in rehab clinics and senior- and nursing homes all over the world. Recent new project in Asian countries is the GymTonic concept in Singapore www.gymtonic.com , where many nursing homes and daycare centers now use the concept for giving the elderly the strength day need, for the life they deserve.
Senior Lecturer, Master and PhD in Gerontology Programmes, S R Nathan School of Human Development, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore
Dr Helen Ko is a Senior Lecturer with the Singapore University of Social Sciences, teaching the Master and PhD in Gerontology Programmes. She is concurrently Executive Director of Beyond Age, a training consultancy with deep expertise in ageing issues. For about 30 years, she pioneered the development of several programmes for seniors in Singapore, including gerontological counselling and a suite of training programmes on managing/counselling older workers. She has authored/co-authored four books, all of which had been and/or are still adopted as key texts for graduate and undergraduate courses at several universities/training institutions in Singapore. Dr Ko has also carried out research on Singapore’s ageing workforce and published in scientific journals. Her research on training older workers was awarded the Prize for the Best Piece of Research. For many years, she has been a strong advocate of older workers, contributing actively through various media platforms.
Client Origination & Marketing Manager, Life Extension Company Limited, Hong Kong
Jeffrey Douglas Kwok is a Marketing Manager who joined Life Extension in 2018. Currently, he is responsible for client origination and the online telehealth platform joint venture project with Caspar Health of Germany. After spending nearly a decade working in marketing and business development, Jeffrey knows how to produce win-win outcomes for business partners and project stakeholders.
Vice Chairperson, The Hong Kong Joint Council for People with Disabilities, Hong Kong
Joseph Kwok, RSW, PhD, BBS, JP; recipient of Kazuo Itoga Memorial Award by the Shiga Prefecture Government of Japan in 2006 ; and “Promoter” of the Asian and Pacific Decade, 2013-2022, awarded by UN ESCAP. Current positions include:
Chairman, Elderly Commission, Hong Kong
Dr Lam is a specialist in paediatric and community medicine and is now the Chief Executive Officer of Haven of Hope Christian Service. Under his leadership, Haven of Hope Christian Service is one of the pioneers in the provision of holistic care for the elderly in Hong Kong. He is a non-official member of the Executive Council of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. He is also the Chairman of the Elderly Commission and he advises the Government on the related policies. He is also the Chairman of the Community Investment & Inclusion Fund Committee.
Dr. Lam has been honored by the HKSAR Government with the Justice of Peace in 2003, Bronze Bauhinia Star in 2008 and awarded the Ageing Asia Global Ageing Influencers Award in 2018 for his devotion to public services and his influence on policy-making for the global ageing trend.
Occupational Therepist, Hong Kong Young Women`s Christian Association
LAM Ka Shing, Billy, registered Occupational Therapist in Hong Kong. Graduated with a BSc. (Hons) in Occupational Therapy and MSc. in Stroke and Clinical Neurosciences in Hong Kong. He has been receiving numerous training in rehabilitation and more focusing on Neuro-IFRAH® Approach since 2011. He has become a Neuro-IFRAH Instructor® in January, 2018.
He had worked in a variety of community settings in Hong Kong. He is now working in Jockey Club Y Care Elderly Centre, HKYWCA.
General Manager, Deltason Medical Limited, Hong Kong
Phoenix Lam is a general manager at Deltason Medical Limited. He is an experienced medical marketer who has worked in Rehabilitation and Pharmacy for more than 8 years.
Physiotherapist I, The Hong Kong Society for the Blind
Mr Lam graduated as a physiotherapist in The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and obtained his master degree in MSc in Occupational Safety and Health from University of Greenwich. He is now participating in the postgraduate program Doctor in Health Science in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Mr. Lam's main clinical and research interests include geriatric rehabilitation, acupuncture, neurological rehabilitation, fall prevention and exercise therapy. He has more than 15 years of clinical experience and worked as a frontline clinician at various non-government and private settings. He has extensive experience in working for older adults living in the community and institutions.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare, HKSAR Government, Hong Kong
Dr Chi-Kwong Law was appointed as the Secretary for Labour and Welfare on 1 July 2017.
Between 1981 and 2017, Dr Law taught in the Department of Social Work (later renamed Department of Social Work and Social Administration) of the University of Hong Kong. He was the Head of the Department from 1993 to 1997 and was associate professor before he joined the Government. Dr Law was a Member of the Legislative Council from 1995 to 1997 and from 1998 to 2004. He also held a number of public offices, including Chairman of the Community Care Fund Task Force, member of the Commission on Poverty, member of the Commission on Strategic Development and member of the Statistics Advisory Board.
Residential Elderly Services Manager (SNO), Po Leung Kuk, Hong Kong
Ms Leong graduated from Kwong Wah Hospital Nursing School in 1987 and is a Registered Nurse and Registered Midwife. She also obtained the Bachelor of Health Science from the University of Western Sydney.
She has been working in the medical care sector for over 20 years. She has joined Po Leung Kuk in 2006 and has over 10 years of working experience in elderly care service. Ms Leong is currently the Residential Elderly Services Manager (SNO) of Po Leung Kuk and responsible for supervising residential care service, including the operation, frontline service and medical management.
Founder and President, OurCityLove Social Enterprise Co., Ltd., Taiwan
As an information scientist and a social entrepreneur, Prof Chong-Wey Lin has been devoting himself to the research and enhancement of social interface and participation of the disabled and senior citizens through adoption of technologies for more than 15 years. The OurCityLove Social Enterprise which he founded in 2014 is now the leading accessibility information platform in Taiwan and has won more than 100 awards worldwide in the field of assistive technology, smart city, open data and e-governance and transportation. In the GIES2018, Prof Lin will present OurCityLove’s experience in working open data with government, private businesses and the disabled/senior citizens for the smart integrated services of “Friendly Pharmacy” and “9453 Friendly Traveler – Family Accessible Tourism”.
Green Tomato and Talkbox
Duncan has been engaged in the mobile Internet industry for more than 18 years, witnessed the changes in the Internet in Hong Kong. The first employee of Green Tomato Limited, and participated in the development of multiple projects. In recent years, Duncan has been more actively involved in NGO projects related to Talkbox Limited, the subsidiary of GT Group, such as Food-Co.
Steve has been working for global brand and focusing on changing industries like Consumer Electronics, Gaming and Mobile Communications for 15 years. Based on his working background, he found out that many baby boomers become disconnected while younger generation are well connected in the digital era. Hence, he founded the company Fun Aging aiming to be the bridge between senior people and mobile technology.
In the past 18 months, he successfully developed a community that acquired over 10,000 senior people aged from 50 y.o to 100 y.o via 350 offline events. The story continues and will be heading to the AI era in near future.
Scientific Director, AGE-WELL NCE & Professor, University of Toronto, Canada
Alex Mihailidis, Ph.D., P.Eng., is the Barbara G. Stymiest Research Chair in Rehabilitation Technology at the University of Toronto and Toronto Rehab Institute. He is also the Scientific Director of the AGE-WELL Network of Centres of Excellence, which focuses on the development of new technologies and services for older adults. He is a Full Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy (U of T) and in the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering.
He has been conducting research in the field of pervasive computing and intelligent systems in health for the past 15 years, having published over 150 journal papers, conference papers, and abstracts in this field. Dr. Mihailidis is also very active in the rehabilitation engineering profession, currently as the Immediate Past-President for RESNA. He was also named a Fellow of RESNA in 2014, which is one of the highest honours within this field of research and practice.
Superintendent, ELCHK Grace Court
Mr Kenneth Ng has been serving the local elderly services for 22 years. He has been the Superintendent of ELCHK Grace Court since 2012. He is an assessors of Residential Aged Care Accreditation Scheme (RACAS) in Hong Kong. He has more than 50-time onsite accreditation experience. He has been invited as a speaker for the courses “Quality Improvement Project for Residential Care Homes for the Elderly (RCHEs)” developing the capacity of RCHEs operators for effective management.
ELCHK Grace Court has offered job placement for 28 young persons since the Navigation Scheme for Young Persons in Care Services launched in 2014. He will share some experience in coaching of Young Persons in elderly care service.
Founder and CEO, Psykinetic, Australia
Dr Jordan Nguyen is a young man on a mission to change the world. He is an acclaimed thought leader on the intersection between technology and humanity. A truly inspirational communicator, Dr Nguyen presents on technology and the power of the mind at prestigious events internationally including Think Inc., Wired for Wonder, and the Engineering for Medicine and Biology Conference.
Upon completing his PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Technology Sydney, Dr Nguyen was accepted into the prestigious UTS Chancellor’s List. Now his mission is to improve the lives of as many people as possible. As founder of Psykinetic he designs life-changing technologies focusing on intelligent, futuristic and inclusive technology. Drawing on his experience of almost breaking his own neck, Dr Nguyen developed a mind-controlled smart wheelchair for people with high-level physical disability. His recent documentary, “Becoming Superhuman”' won the 2017 Eureka Prize for Science Journalism.
General Manager, Muscle Corporation, Japan
Ms N. Ogata has over 15-year working & consultant experience in the medical care industry. After working at the Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, she acquired a registered nurse qualification and hence fully engaged in the medical and healthcare industry. After completing her MBA at the University of Wales, she established a company that engaged in comprehensive consultation & management in the medical and healthcare field.
Ms Ogata joined the Muscle Corporation since 2013 and was involved in the development of support & introduction project of nursing-care robots. By utilizing "ROBOHELPER SASUKE", she promoted the next generation robot technology for nursing care industry in Japan and globally. She has been striving to maximize the effectiveness of nursing care robots and providing good nursing care for transfer aid to both caregivers and care receivers. Ms Ogata is devoted to establish unique and effective healthcare business for future aging society from staff's perspective, both manufacturers and medical.
Superintendent, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Jockey Club Rehabilitation Complex (JCRC), Hong Kong
Ms Ong is the superintendent of JCRC which provides residential, day care and training for more than one thousand people with disabilities. Ms Ong has been working in the rehabilitation filed for more than twenty years with a mission to promote equal opportunities, social inclusion and participation of the people with disabilities in the community.
Ms. Ong has been actively participating in community services all these years. Presently she is the founding member of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Social Enterprises Ltd and the founding member of the Social Innovation Charity Ltd. She is also the committee member of the Guardianship Board and the Disciplinary Committee Panel of the Social Work Registration Board.
CEO, Health At Home, Thailand
Dr Kanapon Phumratprapin, a Geriatrician who has immense interest in employing technology to solve medical problems. In 2013 when he was training at Mouth Sinai Hospital, NYC, US. He saw an advancement of home health care service and he wanted to make it happen in Thailand. In 2015, he quitted his full-time doctor job to build Health at home, a tech startup platform that helps families find the right caregiver with remote monitoring and creation of patient’s personal health record at home. Health at Home also connects with other stakeholders in the ecosystem - with an aspiration to improve overall quality of care, especially where it can be done much better, at home.
General Manager, Automotive & Electronics, Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and Automotive Parts and Accessory Systems (APAS) R&D Centre
Dr. Poon is the General Manager of Hong Kong Productivity Council and Automotive Parts and Accessory Systems R&D Centre. Dr Poon took lead a team of professional Engineers and researchers with rich experiences in EV and connected vehicle technology development. The most representative R&D results include a series of pure electric and hybrid-electric commercial vehicles, EV chargers, active safety systems and big data analytic platform for automobile. In addition to automotive R&D, Dr. Poon and his team also conducted many technology and market study with focus on EV, EV charging infrastructure and connected vehicles.
Founder and CEO, Techbility, Japan
Aqeel Qureshi established Techbility to ensure that technology and information would be accessible to everyone. He is passionate about improving the online experience for persons with disabilities by ensuring that all information systems are accessible to the broadest possible audience, including users of assistive technologies. Aqeel has served as Vice President of the Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies and Environments (GAATES), from 2008 through 2017, and the Editor of the Global Accessibility News (GAN). Aqeel is currently serving as Chair of the RI-ICTA for the Asia Pacific. With nearly 18 years of experience working in the accessibility field, Aqeel is an internationally recognized expert in universal design and accessibility of website and App development, information and communications technology (ICT) and disability inclusive disaster risk reduction (DiDRR). His experience, knowledge and passion enable him to help organizations and digital agencies make a difference to persons with disabilities by ensuring compliance with international accessibility guidelines and standards. As a disability rights campaigner, he has actively advocated for the rights of persons with disabilities.
Assistant Director, Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council, Hong Kong
As current Assistant Director of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council, Joe specializes in community aged care and healthcare and has extensive experiences in service planning., development and monitoring. Joe also has extensive involvement in training and consultancy in design and planning of aged care projects in China and Hong Kong.
He has been working on cross-disciplinary collaboration among the government, business academics and society to leverage on each sector’s strength to benefit more people. Joe was the first social worker conferred the “Ageing Global Trailblazer” awarded. His team has championed over 40 accolades on innovative elderly care services.
Founder, The Illuminant Foundation Limited, Hong Kong
Mr Shum is the founder of “The Illuminant” social enterprise. He obtained the Master of Sociology in Elderly Welfare from the Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto and worked as care worker in an elderly home in Kyoto. He is also the columnist of in the Hong Kong news press HK01 “Elderly Welfare in Japan”.
Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Prof. So Wing-Chee is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She received her Ph.D. in the University of Chicago. She worked in the National University of Singapore before returning to Hong Kong. She specializes in language and cognitive development of typically- and atypically-developing children. She is also interested in designing and implementing technology-based intervention programs for children with autism for promoting their social and communication skills. She has published more than 35 papers in the internationally- renowned journals and served more than 500 children with autism in Hong Kong.
Senior Manager (Professional Development), SAHK, Hong Kong
Dr Ivan SU is the Senior Manager (Professional Development) of SAHK. A physiotherapist by training, he obtained his doctorate in Health Science at HKPolyU. He joined SAHK in 1987 and appointed Senior Physiotherapist in 1992. He specialises in curriculum development for adults with developmental disabilities and recently mainly in community rehabilitation service development for the acquired conditions. Dr SU is currently an Executive Committee member of the HK Physiotherapy Association, an Accreditation Panel member of the Physiotherapists Board, and an Appeal Board member for SWD’s Standardised Assessment for Residential Services for People with Disabilities.
Director, Bekind Solutions Pte Ltd, Singapore
In his pursuit of a purpose driven life, Tuan set up Bekind Solutions Pte Ltd to bring affordable elderly care products to the elderly. He had experience working with people and cultures from more than 40 over countries. Given his vast exposure, he wants to harness his global experience and integrate his Design, Engineering and Marketing know-how to develop innovative products to improve the quality of life for the elderly. Before embarking on the exciting path of entrepreneurship, he was heading the sales and design department of a Furniture Manufacturing company based in Shanghai, China. Prior to that, he had 14 years of engineering experience in the Marine industry of which some of the interesting projects include Submarine upgrading, Propulsion system commissioning and Azimuth propulsion system design refinement.
Director, Operations, SingHealth Community Hospitals, Singapore ; Research Scholar, Singapore University of Social Sciences Geron EngAGE, Singapore
Tan Tai Kiat is Director of Operations with SingHealth Community Hospitals (SCH). Singapore Health Services (SingHealth) is the largest healthcare group in Singapore and SCH oversees the management of three community hospitals, namely Bright Vision Hospital, Sengkang and Outram Community Hospitals. Tai Kiat is in charge of hospital operations, strategic and corporate planning, corporate communications, patient experience, philanthropy, community relations, engagement and partnerships. He is also a Research Scholar with Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) Geron EngAGE and currently doing his PhD Gerontology at SUSS under Alice Lim Memorial Fund scholarship. Tai Kiat received his MSc Public Policy and Administration at London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) under Singapore-LSE Trust scholarship. He is a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. He has more than 15 years of experience in healthcare and transport sectors doing planning, operations and development work.
Deputy Executive Manager, Shin Kong Bank Cultural & Educational Foundation and SKS Community Care Welfare Foundation, Taiwan
Born in 1973, Mr Tang is currently the Deputy Chief Executive of Shin Kong Security Social Welfare Foundation, the Deputy Executive Manager of Shin Kong Bank Culture and Education Foundation, and the consultant of Shin Kong Hospital. He is responsible for NPO, charity and silver initiative for more than six years. He is committed to researching the longevity economy, linking the silver industries, promoting silver employment. He actively participates in the development of financial services for the silver issue.
Chief Technology Officer, Psykinetic, Australia
A dedicated engineer with a limitless passion for technology and innovation. Mr Temple began to teach himself programming from a young age and believes the best way to learn anything is to do it yourself. He strives to constantly challenge himself with new technology and projects.
He is breaking new ground in technology innovation in his role as Chief Technology Officer at Psykinetic. Mr Temple is leading Psykinetic’s software projects and has built the fundamentals for Psykinetic’s eye-controlled music software and the world’s fastest eye-controlled communication device.
President, Senior Service Informatics Innovation Research Center; Zhongguancun SSIDC Smart Health and Senior Care Industrial Alliance, China
Dr Lanning Tian has a Ph.D. in Health and Welfare Management, International University of Health and Welfare (IUHW). And she graduated with Master’s Degree from Depaul University in the United State, majoring in Information System Management. She is fluent in English, Chinese and Japanese. She was once the Director of IT Department in Social Welfare Centre and led the National Information System for Aged Services funded by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. In 2014, she founded SSIDC Senior Services Informatics Innovation Research Center and the Zhongguancun SSIDC Smart Health and Senior Care Industrial Alliance. She is also the editor-in-chief of the “Empower the Next Stage of Life” book series. Now Dr Lanning Tian is also the Vice President of China Association of Social Welfare and Senior Service, and a Research Fellow at the Center of Gerontology, Tsinghua University. Before she came back China in 2010 she worked at both Welgreens compnay and Accenture company.
Chairman, Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Prof Raymond Kai-yu Tong is a Biomedical Engineer and he is currently a Professor and Chairman in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, CUHK. His research interests include Rehabilitation Robotics (e.g. Hand of Hope), Brain-Computer Control Interface (BCI), Neural Engineering, Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) and Cognitive Assessment Software. His research, innovation and service have received Awardee of the 2013 Hong Kong Ten Outstanding Young Persons; the Grand Prix Award (the highest honor) of the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva 2012; Winner Award (e-Health) in the Asia Pacific ICT Award 2012; and HKIE innovation awards for young members(2008), gold awards in international invention exhibitions (04’, 07’,10’,15’ &16’).
Webpage: http://www.bme.cuhk.edu.hk/kytong
Convener of HKCSS Age-Friendly Hong Kong - Expert and Policy Advocacy Working Group
Teresa is an Honorary Consultant of the Institute of Active Ageing and the Department of Bio-medical Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and a visiting lecturer for the MSc in Clinical Gerontology programme at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is the former Professor of Practice (Gerontology) of the Department of Applied Social Sciences and Founding Director of the Institute of Active Ageing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Teresa has conducted research and published articles and papers on social work and ageing, active ageing, age-friendly city and dementia caregiving. Teresa is appointed to various government boards such as Social Welfare Department Opportunities for the Elderly Project, Radio and Television Hong Kong, Working Group on the Review of Ordinance and Codes of Practice for Residential Care Homes etc. Teresa serves as the Founding President of Women Initiative for Ageing Successfully, Vice Chairman of MIP Care Resources Network Ltd, Hon. Secretary of Senior Citizen Home Safety Association and Hon. Treasurer of the Hong Kong Alzheimer’s Disease Association. She also serves as an advisor to 10 non-government organizations. Teresa was awarded the Certificate of Commendation by the Secretary of Home Affairs Bureau in 2017.
Chair Professor of Industrial Engineering, City University of Hong Kong
Kwok L Tsui is chair professor in the School of Data Science at City University of Hong Kong and the founder and Director of Center for Systems Informatics Engineering. Professor Tsui’s current research interests include data mining, surveillance in healthcare and public health, personalized health monitoring, prognostics and systems health management, and robust design and Taguchi methods.
He is Fellow of the American Statistical Association, American Society for Quality, and International Society of Engineering Asset Management; and a council member of the International Statistical Institute. He was also selected as Fellow by The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers in 2014.
Assistant Director-Business & Project Development, Logistics & Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre Limited (LSCM), Hong Kong
Mr Stephen CH Wai is the Assistant Director, Business & Project Development of Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTec R&D Centre Limited (LSCM). He is responsible for developing applied research projects and driving technology transfer activities, working closely with universities as well as the public and private sectors in Hong Kong.
Mr. Wai has more than 30 years of working experience in the field of business document and data printing, Business Process Outsourcing, IC-Cards and RFID business mainly serving banking and insurance, transportation and government sectors. Since 2010, he started to promote the mobile commerce and payment business in China. He has successfully implemented the accreditation system and badge issuing operation for the 6th Ministerial Conference of WTO in 2005, the HKSAR 10th Anniversary event and Equestrian Game in 2007. He is also involved in the Hong Kong Airport Authority RFID baggage tag testing project since 2004.
Co-Founder and Managing Director, Caspar Health, Germany
Maximilian von Waldenfels is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Caspar Health, an interactive digital platform for physical rehabilitation and prevention, which integrated world-class rehabilitation know-how and cutting-edge technology. Waldenfels is a lawyer by education, has worked in politics and corporate finance, and since the last 6 years is a serial entrepreneur by heart. He founded MyLorry/Food Express in Berlin in 2013, a food delivery platform employed up to 1,300 permanent employees and was later sold to the Dutch Takeaway.com. Before that, he served as the personal advisor to two Federal Ministers, and also worked as a consultant for international start-ups and VCs. He has tremendous experience in healthcare product development, as well as business scaling, management and fundraising. Waldenfels has a law degree from Ludwig-Maximilians Universität Munich. He recently moved from Hong Kong to Berlin with his wife and son.
CEO, SilverFit
Mr Joris Wiersinga is the co-founder and CEO of SilveFit. Before founding SilverFit, he worked as Consultant at McKinsy and Company for eight years, specializing on change management and first-to-market operations in high tech companies. In his spare time, he is a successful game designer with more than 15 published board games. With SilveFit, he has won multiple awards such as European Innovative Games Award, the Dutch Games Award, the Izovator award for innovation in health care. SilverFit has also been recognized as a Top-100 Dutch Innovative Company. Mr Joris Wiersinga studied biology and law at Leiden University and holds an MBA at INSEAD business school. He has published two books and numerous scientific and professional articles.
Export Director, ROPOX A/S
Master degree in Economics. Working more than 30 years with products for disabled persons. Working 14 yerars for ROPOX.
Managing Director, NEC Hong Kong Limited
Ms Elsa Wong is the Managing Director of the NEC Hong Kong Limited, a leading ICT company in providing one-stop solutions/services for biometric, AI technologies, public safety, smart transportation, cloud computing, cyber security, network infrastructure, HW System as well as various I.T. products. Ms. Elsa joined NEC Hong Kong in 1999 and was promoted through the ranks to Managing Director and the Global Head of “Centre of Excellence” for Smart Transportation.
She was engaged in the development of various high-end I.T. solutions and was recognized as a high-potential IT executive. She provided pivotal leadership from bringing the concept to deliverable and acquired high reputation from I.T. market. Most recently, NEC won Hong Kong’s Most Valuable Companies Awards as “Most Reliable Biometrics Solutions Provider”. Elsa’s strong will in innovating new values for human society is further recognized. Elsa received her degree in Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical & Electronics Engineering from Sydney University, Master degree in Computer Science Technology from City University of Hong Kong and Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) from the HKUST-Kellogg.
Service Director, Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited
Mr Lai-Choi Wong, RSW, Service Director of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited, has been working and supervising in a wide variety of social service units over 20 years, including Youth Service, Total Integrated Services, Employment and Training Service, Day Care Service, District Elderly Community Service, Neighbourhood Elderly Centre, Integrated Home Care Services, Subvented and Self-financing Residential Care Home. He is devoted to building an aged age-friendly community to help elderly people lead a fruitful life.
Chief Executive Officer, Senior Citizen Home Safety Association, Hong Kong
Maura Wong is CEO of Senior Citizen Home Safety Association (SCHSA), a leading social enterprise in Hong Kong with a sustainable self-financed business model as well as non-profit charity status.
SCHSA is the largest operator in Hong Kong of a 24/7 assistance service, offering day-to-day care, support and emergency help to the elderly community. SCHSA is an integrator of technology and people with a single aim to provide affordable and high quality services to enhance the quality of home-based living of the elderly in Hong Kong.
Before joining SCHSA, Maura had a long career in finance and investment including her role as Founding Partner of JP Morgan Partners Asia. She also had extensive experience working with non-profits and social enterprises, both in Hong Kong and worldwide.
Chief Information Officer, Mark Bright Limited, Hong Kong
Mr Wong was graduated from University of East Asia (Macau) with BBA (Management Information System).
Director, Commercialisation, Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI)
Being the Director of Commercialisation of ASTRI, Barry Yen is responsible for the business development, commercialisation and monetisation of the vast ASTRI IP portfolio.
Barry is a pioneer in the ICT industry with over 25 years of business management experience in senior positions. He is well experienced in building operations from scratch and has successfully led and built two local technology companies, one of which has become one of the largest telecommunications solutions providers in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Manager, Paramount Bed Co., Ltd
I joined Paramount Bed since 2004, had worked in the sales of elderly care products for almost 15 years and am familiar with elderly facilities, home care service providers as well as welfare equipment rental services in Japan. Most of the difficulties in elderly care worldwide are similar in nature. We would be very happy if our experience is useful for elderlies in Hong Kong.
We, at Paramount Bed, believe in the creation of comfortable healthcare environments through cutting-edge technology with a human touch.
Team Leader, Australian eHealth Research Center, The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia
Dr Qing Zhang is a senior research scientist at the Australian e-Health Research Centre, The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. He leads the Health Internet of Things research team and is also the project leader of the CSIRO Smarter Safer Homes platform, which aims at supporting seniors ageing-in-place through wireless sensor and AI techniques. The platform won QLD state iAward and National iAward and is now evaluated in random control trials in Australia.
Dr Zhang also serves as the chair of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Chapter of Queensland section. He has been invited as guest speakers and panelists at several international conferences and national research programs. His research interests span a variety of topics in sensor data mining, human identification, activity recognition, data stream and approximate algorithm design.
Rm 1206, 12/F, Duke of Windsor Social Service Building, 15 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
+852 3705 5336 [email protected] https://gies.hk
