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The Lion Rock Institute announces Mr. Nicholas Sallnow-Smith as the New Chairman of the Board

The Lion Rock Institute announces the ascension of Mr. Sallnow-Smith the role of Chairman of the Board, effective today. He replaces Mr. Peter Wong, who will continue to serve on the board as a Director.

Mr. Sallnow-Smith has decades of experience as a leader in organisations including listed companies such as Link Asset Management Ltd., Hongkong Land, and Standard Chartered Bank. In addition, he has played leadership roles in schools, hospitals, charities and other public bodies. He recently stepped down as Chairman of the Board at Link Asset Management Ltd., after completing the maximum 9 years of service. Mr. Sallnow-Smith also served as the Chief Executive at Hongkong Land and Northeast Asia CEO of Standard Chartered Bank.

He is currently a Member of the Financial Reporting Council of Hong Kong, an Independent Non-Executive Director at Wynn Macau Ltd., a Senior Independent Non-Executive Director at UCP Plc, A Director at Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation and holds many other roles.

The Institute has stern belief that Mr. Sallnow-Smith will elevate the institute’s mission to protect the freedom of Hong Kong to the next level.

Please see below for a letter from The Lion Rock Institute’s new Chairman, Mr. Sallnow-Smith.

For More Information & Any Interview Inquiries, Please Contact:

Mr. Laurence Pak

+852 3586 8102

laurence.pak@lionrockinstitute.org

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1 April 2016

A Message From Our New Chairman

Dear Lionrockers,

Despite the date, this is not an April fool’s message! Rather it is my means of expressing my pleasure today in saying a formal hello to all involved in the Institute.  I had the honour (with a ‘u’  for all you North Americans!)  of being asked, in our own “small circle” election, to take over today from Peter Wong as the Chairman of LRI.

It is a role I am happy to take up. The “Lion Rock spirit” in Hong Kong has been one of the key factors attracting me to stay in this city for the rest of my life. But it is a spirit which is at risk of damaging erosion.  For all of its modern history, our city has been an international role model for free enterprise and open markets. Hong Kong’s success has demonstrated to the world the value that these freedoms create for the whole community. That they could be questioned here of all places is astonishing, and is a challenge which we should not shirk.

We have a duty to speak up for the spirit of individual freedom and accountability that the Lion rock represents, so that new generations of Hong Kongers understand what made this city such a success, and realise that its loss could irreparably damage it.

For over 150 years politics were effectively “outsourced” to London. Free markets here were an economic issue. Today, they are also critical for personal freedom. The two cannot be separated. Without freedom to exchange, there can be no genuine personal freedom, and without the personal freedom to benefit from it, free trade means nothing.

I look forward to joining you in our own “free enterprise” collaboration at LRI aimed at standing up for these freedoms and explaining their fundamental value. This stand is increasingly important, as we face a growing global wave of collectivist fervour, which urges the denial of individual freedoms because they prevent those who would “socially engineer” our lives from doing so.

I hope to meet more of you over the coming months to share ideas on how we can be more effective in this mission.

Best wishes,

Nick Sallnow-Smith

Chairman

The Lion Rock Institute