Wah Kwong boss Sabrina Chao was officially elected as the new chairman of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association last night, taking over from Valles Steamship’s Kingsley Koo. J B Rae-Smith from China Navigation was anointed deputy chairman. Chao becomes the first woman to head the association, one of the most vocal shipowning bodies in the world.
Speaking to Splash ahead of her official confirmation as the new HKSOA chair, Chao said: “We have so many strengths as a shipping centre, but they are often not properly recognised or promoted. We need to make sure that Hong Kong is top of the list when companies are looking to expand their presence in the region, so we need to talk up our advantages.”
Chao will be in the HKSOA top spot for two years, at which point Rae-Smith is likely to take over.
What shipowners are demanding in the Special Administrative Region formed a central plank of the recently published Splash Hong Kong Market Report, a comprehensive look at the maritime scene in the former British colony. Readers can access the full magazine online for free by clicking here.
“chairwoman” or even “chairperson” perhaps instead of “chairman”?
Dim, her official title is chairman according to HKSOA. It’s also her official title at Wah Kwong.
I think the constitution states “Chairman” hence the position officially must be referred to so. But the title of article “Sabrina Chao takes over as HKSOA chair” is appropriate