Leo Kwok Kee LEUNG
BSc Civil Engineering 1983
Leo Kwok Kee Leung has been Executive Director of Hopewell Highway Infrastructure Limited since 2003 (a publicly listed company in Hong Kong, Stock Code:737) and then re-appointed as Executive Director of its parent company Hopewell Holdings Limited in 2009 (Hong Kong Stock Code: 54) to present time.
The 56-year-old has been in charge of the engineering, design and construction of all in-house projects of Hopewell Group ever since he joined Hopewell in 1993, and during his time with Hopewell, he has completed the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Superhighway (123km), Guangzhou E-S-W Ring Road (38km), Guangzhou- Zhuhai West Line Superhighway (110km), some Power Stations (3x660MW & 2x600MW), as well as assisting Hopewell Group Chairman, Sir Gordon YS Wu (KCMG) to have successfully promoted Sir Gordon Wu’s concept of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.
This 41.6 km long dual-3 lane, a total of 6-lane vehicular fixed Bridge-Tunnel Link across the Pearl River Estuary, is a world class project. Now it is being undertaken by the Governments of Hong Kong and Guangdong Province together collectively.
Prior to joining Hopewell Group, the Sunderland alumnus worked for Tony Gee and Partners, Howard Humphreys and Partners, Brown & Root and Ove Arup & Partners and acquired a wide range of design and construction experiences in Europe, East and North Africa, South East Asia and Hong Kong in highways, bridges, buildings, dams and tunnel structures. Leo is reponsible for four important projects that are the Mass Rapid Transit System in Singapore (MRT), the Central Bank of Kenya in Nairobi, the Third Nairobi Water Supply Project in Kenya, and the Great Man-made River (water supply) Project through the Sahara Desert in Libya.
Leo was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree with First Class Honours from the Council for National Academic Awards (through the Sunderland Polytechnic) in Civil Engineering, as well as the Institution of Civil Engineers’ Prize for his outstanding undergraduate performance in 1983.
He was later awarded the British Public Works Congress Council Award in 1990 to study at Imperial College and then graduated from Imperial College (University of London) with a Master of Science degree with Distinction in Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics in 1991.
No matter how far Leo has moved on in his life, he remembers vividly and cherishes his four years of happy time in Sunderland.
He said: “I enjoyed the 4 years in the Wearside thoroughly, not just because of its outstanding professors, lecturers and staff, but also the friendliness and warmth of the local people. Two of my professors and lecturers that I admired most back in the early 1980’s were Professor Roger C. Harvey, who was the Head of Civil Engineering Department and the author of a book called Construction Industry of Great Britain and T.J. MacGinley, author of three extremely popular books used by many practicing engineers throughout the world. Both of them gave me tremendous help and inspiration throughout my career life.”
In 2004, Leo was awarded the PRC National Class 1 Registered Structural Engineers qualification, and then received the full registration qualification in 2012; there are only less than 180 such Engineers from Hong Kong who received such full registration qualification.
He served as Committee Members to a number of Professional Institutions and was the Chairman of the Civil Division (2011-2012) of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (“HKIE”), and a Council Member of the HKIE (since 2012 till present time). He was also the Chairman of the Hong Kong Branch of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (2006-2007).
Leo was elected as an Election Committee Member by the Engineering Subsector for the nomination and election of the Chief Executive of HKSAR in 2012 for a 5-year term.
Leo has also written and published many technical and non-technical papers through journals, proceedings, talks and seminars, including multiple aspects of Regional Strategic Planning, with particular emphasis in Infrastructurally Led Developments.