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The following is issued on behalf of the Financial Services Development Council:
The Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University today (September 8) held a forum on the career prospects in the financial services industry.
Speaking at the forum, the Chairman of the FSDC, Mrs Laura M Cha, described how Hong Kong has one of the world's most efficient financial markets and a well-regarded financial services industry. Hong Kong has built its reputation on a sound regulatory environment and a highly effective public sector, she said.
As the financial market is made up of industry practitioners on the one hand and regulators and the Government on the other, young people wishing to pursue a career in the financial industry should consider both sectors as possibilities, Mrs Cha said.
Entitled "A Career in Financial Services - Public or Private Sector?", the forum was the fourth event under the FSDC's Practitioner Speakers Series aiming to promote understanding of career choices in the financial services industry. Around 200 students attended today's forum to learn about career opportunities in the financial industry and to explore with industry professionals ways to be better equipped for a career in financial services.
In her discussion with the participating students, Mrs Cha talked about her own career experience in the public and private sectors of the financial industry, and elaborated on the unique characteristics of the two sectors.
She said, "These two segments of the financial industry are interactive and collaborative. Regulators in the public sector need to have a thorough understanding of how markets operate, and must keep abreast of the latest developments in the markets. Likewise, market participants must keep themselves current with the up-to-date regulatory requirements in order to comply with the relevant regulations designed to maintain an orderly and efficient market.
"The degree of mobility between the job markets of public and private sectors is high, with the experience and knowledge gained from one sector highly valued by the other."
Noting that the FSDC's Practitioner Speakers Series provides a platform for leading industry practitioners to share their personal career experience, Mrs Cha expressed the hope that her interaction with the participants at the forum could help young graduates deepen their understanding of the opportunities and challenges in both the public and private sectors of the financial industry, and inspire more students to consider developing a career in financial services.
The FSDC's Practitioner Speakers Series is a project organised by the FSDC and local universities, with speakers from the financial services industry giving talks to university students about various aspects of the industry and the skill sets required in developing a career in financial services.
About the FSDC
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government established the FSDC in 2013 as a high-level, cross-sectoral advisory body to engage the industry in formulating proposals to promote the further development of Hong Kong's financial services industry and to map out the strategic direction for development.
The FSDC set up five committees, namely the Policy Research Committee, the Mainland Opportunities Committee, the New Business Committee, the Market Development Committee and the Human Capital Committee, as the five streams of its work.
Ends/Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Issued at HKT 15:35
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