HONG KONG – Forty-four undergraduates and post-graduates representing seven faculties and affiliated colleges celebrated the culmination of their time at Western as the university held its eighth annual Hong Kong convocation ceremony Sunday in the Chancellor Room of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Amit Chakma, Western president; Janice Deakin, provost and vice-president (academic); and deans Brian Timney, Faculty of Social Science, and Carol Stephenson, Richard Ivey School of Business, joined more than 350 guests at the event – including Faculty of Science graduate In-ting Ho, who welcomed 19 family members to see him graduate.
From 2001-04, Ivey celebrated a convocation for its Hong Kong campus. In 2005, that convocation was expanded to include all Western faculties and affiliates. The university now celebrates a full Hong Kong convocation, complete with gonfalons and a replica mace.
Michael Lim was named valedictorian of the EMBA Class of 2012; Andrew Graham Bishop, Carolyn Margaret Glasow and Michael Lim received Ivey Scholar Awards.
John Cheh, Esquel vice-chair and CEO, received an honorary degree at the event.
An internationally recognized expert in trade, economics and labour issues, Cheh was named vice-chair and CEO of Esquel Group in 2007. Having previously served as the president (Asia) of Bell Canada International and the president of Bombardier China, Cheh now leads the world’s biggest shirt maker.
Considered a pioneer in terms of corporate social responsibility and employing environmentally friendly technology, Esquel manufactures more than 100 million cotton shirts annually for brands like Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Hugo Boss and Lacoste.
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Text from honorary degree address of John Cheh, Esquel vice-chair and CEO:
President and Vice-Chancellor (Amit) Chakma, Provost (Janice) Deakin, (Richard Ivey School of Business) Dean (Carol) Stephenson, (Ivey Asia) Dean (Janet) De Silva, other Western academic leaders, graduates, family members and friends:
First of all, my warmest congratulations to all the graduates gathered here this afternoon, from the Richard Ivey School and from other faculties at Western, on your convocation day. This is truly a happy and meaningful occasion. You, your families and friends all have reason to be proud.
For me, I feel most privileged to join you here today to be conferred the honorary LLD degree from Western Ontario. My previous convocation took place in Cambridge, Mass., in 1974, some 38 years ago. Wow, that must have been before some of the graduates here were even born. (Most? Not all?)
Let me also share this with you: My wife, Irene, and I got married in Boston one day after my previous convocation, and I am very happy that she is here today at my second convocation. Please welcome, Irene. Happy 38th anniversary.
What a pleasure it is for me to receive this honorary degree in my hometown of Hong Kong, and I wish to express my sincerest thanks to Dr. Chakma and to the Senate of the university.
From Dean Stephenson’s kind introduction, you heard that the first 30 years of my career were spent with the Canadian public and private sectors, spanning the treasury, the cabinet office, serving at foreign missions abroad, doing telecom mergers and acquisitions with Bell Canada, and playing with planes and trains at Bombardier, before joining Esquel in 2003.
As one of my friends once asked me: “John, will you ever figure out what you want to do when you grow up?”
As you celebrate your convocation, let me share some thoughts drawn from my own experiences with you. It is all about “doing things with your heart” in your career, your occupation, your business, indeed, in your life. And, believe me, I am speaking from the heart.
First ‘關心’ or ‘care with your heart’ in whatever you do. Care about the impact of your actions not just on yourself, but on people, on society, on the environment and on the future. Think about it: Visions, goals, indeed meaning, all come from“關心” or caring. And, when you care, you truly want ‘to make a difference.’
Following ‘關心’ is ‘專心’ or ‘concentrate your heart.’ This means focus, concentration, discipline; that you will strive to achieve the best and not get distracted, apply what you have learned diligently to achieve the results.
Next ‘放心,’ or ‘relax your heart.’ In a broad sense, ‘放心’ means that you should not be timid in whatever you do; instead of worrying, be bold to explore and try new things, and to effect change.
Last, but not least, always strive to be ‘開心.’ ‘Open your heart’ means ‘be happy.’ I think having fun in whatever you do is essential for your success and for your wellbeing. Feel good about yourself, your achievements, the opportunities, the challenges and the successes, big or small. When you achieve and maintain contentment of heart, you are truly blessed.
And now, let me return to the question of whether I will figure out what I want to do when I grow up?
Some of you might ask: Why did John join Esquel, a company in the so-called traditional textile and apparel sector?
Well, the simple answer is, at Esquel I have been able to do things with my heart: ‘關心,’ or having a strong corporate culture of caring, caring for our 54,00 employees around the world, our customers, the environment and the communities in which we operate; do the job well and motivate everyone at Esquel to pursue our mission; ‘專心’ with a persistent and unbending focus on strong leadership and management to adopt green manufacturing; achieve sustainable development and corporate social responsibility; ‘放心’ dare to innovate to be competitive and not be afraid when confronted with obstacles or challenges; and, above all, very ‘開心,’ finding happiness and, indeed, I am having the time of my life.
I am glad to say that these principles have contributed to strong business results at Esquel, where we have more than doubled our revenue in the last five years and achieved record profitability. The current business environment and outlook are extremely tough and challenging, but Esquel continues to prevail against the headwind. I feel very fortunate to serve on the Esquel platform, a non-traditional enterprise in a traditional industry. Yes, I have found what I want to do.
(Guess that also means that I have finally grown up.)
In closing, let me cite a famous quote from Richard M. Ivey, which is relevant not only for the Richard Ivey Foundation, but for all of us:
“The opportunity to preserve what is good on earth, to support what feeds the soul or stimulates the intellect, to encourage a talent or save an endangered species or keep alive the dreams and aspirations of others, is not only a privilege but a sacred responsibility. For foundations, that responsibility is the source of incalculable satisfaction.”
One can see that Mr. Ivey has heart.
What a privilege it has been for me to speak to you today. I humbly thank you all, and wish you a happy, healthy and fulfilling future.
Thank you.