Walter Chan Kar-lok is a lawyer known for his experience in building housing for the elderly. Now, he has recently been elected the new leader of Hong Kong's second largest public housing provider.
According to South China Morning Post, Chan is expected to replace the outgoing chairman named Marco Wu Moon-hoi. The latter was responsible for helming the Housing Society for 12 years. He will officially retire on Thursday.
The aforementioned non-profit organization's supervisory board voted for Chan to succeed the said chairman for a term of at least three years. This was done during its annual general meeting, which took place on Thursday.
"I feel most honoured to be the chairman of the Housing Society, which is an organization dedicated to serve the community with a social mission for 70 years," Chan said.
Chan revealed that he felt nerves after the decision to elect him as the new head, knowing that he would have "big shoes to fill" in replacing Wu.
"I look forward to working closely with the supervisory board, the executive committee and management of the Housing Society in the days ahead, with a unified passion of providing quality housing and services to respond to the needs of Hong Kong people," Chan said, also extending his appreciation to Wu for his past leadership and dedication.
Chan currently works as a consultant at So, Lung & Associates Solicitors, Hong Kong Informer reports.
He joined the society in 2008 and has since then served on various committees within the organization. Among those, he also chaired the special committee on elderly housing, which he was really known for.
Chan was not the only voted to take a higher seat. That is because the board members also elected former Planning Department head Ling Kar-kan as the new vice-chairman.
Wu, who is 71 years of age, joined the Housing Society in 2004 and served as the Housing Society's vice-chairman and chairman for 12 years.
A former surveyor and civil servant, he contends that his organization's work on elderly housing was one of his proudest accolades during his tenure.
The Housing Society has been successful in launching three development projects, with around 1,164 flats solely meant for either lifelong contracts or rentals for elderly retirees.
The developments also include a range of amenities that specifically cater to the needs of the elderly. This includes, but not limited to, having a Chinese medicine clinic, a medical care, and wellness center and seats in lifts.
