HKRITA Innovation & Technology Symposium 2025

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY SYMPOSIUM 2025

	16 July 2025 (Wednesday)
	3:00-5:30pm
	Charles K. Kao Auditorium, Hong Kong Science Park
	English (with simultaneous interpretation in Putonghua)

In this era of rapid transformation, change is the only constant. "Navigating Change: United for a Sustainable Future" underscores the urgent need for collaboration, adaptability and forward-thinking solutions to reshape the industry. This symposium brings together policymakers, entrepreneurs and scientists to exchange ideas, forge partnerships and accelerate the shift toward a resilient ecosystem — turning challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation.

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY SYMPOSIUM 2025
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

SPEAKERS

KEYNOTE

PANEL DISCUSSION

Moderator:

AGENDA

Welcome Remarks

Ms Teresa YANG, JP

Chairman, HKRITA

Opening Address

Prof Dong SUN, JP

Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, HKSAR Government

Opening Ceremony

A Practical Guide for Thinking about & Dealing with the US Tariff Turmoil for the Textile & Garment Industry

Dr William FUNG, SBS, OBE, JP

Group Deputy Chairman, Fung Group

Driving Sustainable Change Through Strategic Partnerships

Mr Sunny MALHOTRA

Managing Director, Simple Approach Ltd

Design Driven Innovation and Sustainable Fashion

Prof Dr Dennis Jie SUN

Dean of the College of Fashion and Design, Donghua University

Advancing Digital Product Passports: Exploration and Implementation in China's Textile and Apparel Industry

Ms Lirong SUN

Head of LCA Research, Office for Social Responsibility, China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC)

NETWORKING BREAK

Panel discussion:
Innovating for a Sustainable Future: Embracing Change in the Age of AI

Moderator

Ms Angelica LEUNG

Head of Consumer Products, Invest Hong Kong

Panellists

Mr Xiaolai LUO

Chief Technology Officer, Tessellation Group

Dr Leo Pui-Wai MA

Dean, Deloitte AI Institute (Hong Kong)

Mr Kohei TSUJI

Division Manager, Apparel Business Incubation Division, Toray Industries (HK) Ltd

Open Lab Global Challenge Award Presentation

Closing Speech

Mr Jake KOH

Chief Executive Officer, HKRITA

Welcome Remarks

Ms Teresa YANG, JP

Chairman, HKRITA

Opening Address

Prof Dong SUN, JP

Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, HKSAR Government

Opening Ceremony

A Practical Guide for Thinking about & Dealing with the US Tariff Turmoil for the Textile & Garment Industry

Dr William FUNG, SBS, OBE, JP

Group Deputy Chairman, Fung Group

Driving Sustainable Change Through Strategic Partnerships

Mr Sunny MALHOTRA

Managing Director, Simple Approach Ltd

Design Driven Innovation and Sustainable Fashion

Prof Dr Dennis Jie SUN

Dean of the College of Fashion and Design, Donghua University

Advancing Digital Product Passports: Exploration and Implementation in China's Textile and Apparel Industry

Ms Lirong SUN

Head of LCA Research, Office for Social Responsibility, China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC)

NETWORKING BREAK

Panel discussion:
Innovating for a Sustainable Future: Embracing Change in the Age of AI

Moderator

Ms Angelica LEUNG

Head of Consumer Products, Invest Hong Kong

Panellists

Mr Xiaolai LUO

Chief Technology Officer, Tessellation Group

Dr Leo Pui-Wai MA

Dean, Deloitte AI Institute (Hong Kong)

Mr Kohei TSUJI

Division Manager, Apparel Business Incubation Division, Toray Industries (HK) Ltd

Open Lab Global Challenge Award Presentation

Closing Speech

Mr Jake KOH

Chief Executive Officer, HKRITA

*The Organiser reserves the right to change the programme without prior notice.

SUPPORTING ORGANISATIONS

(IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

852-2627-8178

event@hkrita.com

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
FOR THE LATEST HKRITA NEWS AND EVENT UPDATES

Funding Organisation

Disclaimer

Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material/event (or by members of the project team) do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Innovation and Technology Commission or the Vetting Committee of the General Support Programme of the Innovation and Technology Fund.

Prof Dong SUN, JP

Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry

HKSAR Government

Professor Dong SUN was appointed as the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry on 1 July 2022.

Professor Sun is a world-renowned scholar and scientist. He is a pioneer in robotic manipulation of biological cells and robot control. His research has led to breakthroughs in the use of robotics combined with various micro-engineering tools. He has also received numerous awards.

Professor Sun was elected as Fellow of Canadian Academy of Engineering, Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Fellow of the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering, Fellow of IEEE, and Fellow of ASME.

Prior to his appointment, Professor Sun was the Chair Professor and Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at City University of Hong Kong, and the Legislative Council Member (Election Committee).

Ms Teresa YANG, JP

Chairman

HKRITA

Teresa Yang is the Chairman of The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel. She is also Vice Chairman of the Esquel Group, a leading Hong Kong-based textile and apparel manufacturer with operations throughout the world. Esquel produces over 100 million cotton shirts every year for well-acclaimed brands and retailers.

Aside from being responsible for Esquel Group’s strategic planning, Teresa is involved with the development of Hong Kong’s textile and clothing industry in her current capacities at the Clothing Industry Training Authority (CITA).

Teresa is also concerned with the promotion of education. She is currently a member of the Council of St. Paul’s Co-educational College in Hong Kong and also a member of Committee on Professional Development of Teachers and Principals (COTAP) under the Education Bureau. She is one of the founders of the Esquel-Yang Yuan Loong Education Foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to improving educational opportunities for children.

Teresa has been a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) Hong Kong Chapter since 2006. She also joined the YPO Gold Hong Kong Chapter as a member in 2013 and served as Chapter Chair of YPO Gold Hong Kong Chapter from 2016 to 2017.

Teresa has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Hawaii and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Mr Jake KOH

Chief Executive Officer

HKRITA

Mr Jake Koh is an accomplished, dynamic and passionate leader with thirty years of experience in business and innovation management across industries such as e-commerce, telecom, retail and manufacturing. In his previous position, he served as the Group Chief Executive Officer of Lark International Group, a conglomerate with a diversified portfolio in the Asia-Pacific region. Jake has held various marketing and business management roles where innovation is a key driver of business success.

Educated in Canada, Jake holds a Bachelor of Mathematics with a major in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo. He actively participates in numerous professional and industry associations, including the Hong Kong Management Association (HKMA), the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC) and the Hong Kong Professionals and Senior Executives Association (HKPASEA).

Dr William FUNG, SBS, OBE, JP

Group Deputy Chairman

Fung Group

Dr William Kwok Lun Fung, SBS, OBE, JP, is the Group Deputy Chairman of the Fung Group of companies, a Hong Kong-based multinational engaged in trading, logistics, distribution and retailing.

Dr Fung previously held key positions in major trade and business associations. He is a former Chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, the Hong Kong Exporters’ Association and the Hong Kong Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC).

He is the current Chairman of the HKUST Li & Fung Supply Chain Institute Advisory Board.

Mr Sunny MALHOTRA

Managing Director

Simple Approach Ltd

Sunny Malhotra is the founder of Simple Approach, an apparel design-led sourcing company based in Hong Kong, established in 2005.

Embracing the philosophy of simplicity, he transformed the business from a casual woven supplier into a diversified provider across all apparel categories driven by customer demand.

Under Sunny’s leadership, Simple Approach thrives as a people-driven enterprise, fostering entrepreneurship and empowerment.

With a global team of over 30 designers and specialists in Manchester, London, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, and India, the company prioritizes innovation, quality, compliance, and ESG.

As part of the PDS Group, Simple Approach continues to expand and invest in emerging markets while maintaining its industry leadership.

Prof Dr Dennis Jie SUN

Dean of the College of Fashion and Design

Donghua University

National Distinguished Expert; Dean, Professor, and PhD Supervisor at the College of Fashion and Design, Donghua University. Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, UK; Forbes Global Chinese Elite Power 100. Over the past few years, he has become one of the most influential figure in sustainable fashion and interdisciplinary design research, practice and curation in China. He worked on many collaborative and industrial projects, actively engaged in both European and Asian design culture and creative industries.

Ms Lirong SUN

Head of LCA research, Office for Social Responsibility

China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC)

Ms Lirong Sun, an expert in textile and apparel sustainability with 8 years' experience, leads the technical research of textile LCA platform. Her research spans a Sustainable Materials Environmental Impact Database, the Industry's Decarbonization Strategy and Technology Roadmap, carbon neutrality standards, circular textiles, and textile microplastics. She has quantified carbon footprints for 110+ products across 33 brands including Pacific Bird, Amore, Ordos, Bosideng, Lorelei Home Textiles. Currently, she is focusing on Digital Product Passport (DPP) solutions.

Ms Angelica LEUNG

Head of Consumer Products

Invest Hong Kong

Ms Angelica Leung has over a decade of experience in foreign direct investment. Her current focus is on facilitating investment from companies in retail or sourcing of toys, cosmetics, jewelry, home furnishings, fashion, electronic appliances and most recently extending to retail technology. Since 2013, the Consumer Products team has assisted over 400 companies to set up or expand in Hong Kong.

Prior to joining InvestHK, Angelica's career experience spanned aviation, strategic design consultancy and market research for fast moving consumer goods. She holds a Master's degree from the University of Hong Kong, and a Bachelor of Business Administration (Marketing) from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Mr Xiaolai LUO

Chief Technology Officer

Tessellation Group

With over two decades of research experience in the textile and apparel industry, Mr Luo has led innovative projects across diverse teams, striving to implement cross-functional solutions that enhance efficiency, reduce resource consumption, improve process reliability, and advance smarter digital solutions. He remains adaptable to the latest industry trends and welcomes collaboration with like-minded partners. Fully committed to driving continuous improvement and innovation through technology, he is dedicated to shaping a more sustainable and efficient future for the industry.

Dr Leo Pui-Wai MA

Dean

Deloitte AI Institute (Hong Kong)

Dr. Leo Ma serves as the Dean of Deloitte AI Institute (Hong Kong), where he is responsible for the strategic development of AI applications. Prior to joining Deloitte, he held a position as a Magnetic Materials and High-Performance Computing Specialist at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. He has authored numerous research papers that have been published in top-tier journals and is a regular speaker and presenter at leading international conferences. He is also an expert in large-scale massive parallel calculations in high-performance computing (HPC) and possesses extensive experience in code development.

Mr Kohei TSUJI

Division Manager, Apparel Business Incubation Division

Toray Industries (HK) Ltd

Mr. Kohei Tsuji has built a distinguished career in the textile and apparel industry, starting with Toray Industries, Inc. and taking on various leadership roles across different divisions and international markets since 1999. He has worked extensively in marketing, sales, corporate planning, and manufacturing, gaining deep expertise in the apparel sector. With a strong focus on innovation, he has played a key role in developing and incubating new businesses within the Fiber, Textile, and Apparel segments of the Toray Group. Since 2023, he has been serving as the Division Manager of the Apparel Business Incubation Division at Toray Industries (H.K.) Ltd., where he leads strategic partnerships and collaborations with premium brands worldwide, driving growth and advancing the industry.

Welcome Remarks

Opening Address

Opening Ceremony

A Practical Guide for Thinking about & Dealing with the US Tariff Turmoil for the Textile & Garment Industry

Driving Sustainable Change Through Strategic Partnerships

Design Driven Innovation and Sustainable Fashion

Advancing Digital Product Passports: Exploration and Implementation in China's Textile and Apparel Industry

NETWORKING BREAK

Panel discussion: Innovating for a Sustainable Future: Embracing Change in the Age of AI

Open Lab Global Challenge Award Presentation

Closing Speech

Welcome Remarks

Opening Address

Opening Ceremony

A Practical Guide for Thinking about & Dealing with the US Tariff Turmoil for the Textile & Garment Industry

Driving Sustainable Change Through Strategic Partnerships

Design Driven Innovation and Sustainable Fashion

Advancing Digital Product Passports: Exploration and Implementation in China's Textile and Apparel Industry

NETWORKING BREAK

Panel discussion: Innovating for a Sustainable Future: Embracing Change in the Age of AI

Open Lab Global Challenge Award Presentation

Closing Speech

Panel discussion:
Innovating for a Sustainable Future: Embracing Change in the Age of AI

Panel discussion:
Innovating for a Sustainable Future: Embracing Change in the Age of AI