Finance Yearbook 2020-2021

28 FINANCE YEARBOOK THE FINANCE STUDENTS’ SOCIETY, HKUSTSU, SESSION 2020-2021

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Editor's Notes It’s the time of the year again, where we look around and realise how far we have come and how much we have grown from being the Executive Committee of The Finance Students’ Society, HKUSTSU since a year ago. Not only does it indicate the end of our year of office, but it also marks another year of memories created with FSS and the torch being passed on.

2020 has been a challenging year forcing many of us to adapt to new realities. While we highly value the connection and amity among the members, things don’t always go as planned: major events were cancelled or switched to online mode, society gatherings were prohibited, group reunions were limited… all we could do was to make the most of the situation. We tried our very best to provide you with opportunities to unwind, to find comfort, support and affections, to learn and to keep improving yourselves, offering warmth, energy and guidance in the darkness, like a fluorescent avior star as we promised.

Instead of taking the tough circumstances as an excuse to stop trying, we decided to make it a special year to remember, and without your support and encouragement, we would not have been granted the opportunity to make it possible. This book has documented valuable words from our guest, advisor and professor, your voices, as well as the reflections of the 28th Executive Committee and words we would like to tell you, and most importantly, our journey together throughout this year.

The Finance Yearbook is never a review of our year plan nor merely about what the Executive Committee have done in the year, what makes it exceptional and worth reading is you. Therefore, on behalf of FINA28, I would like to thank you for being there with us every step of the way, I don’t know whether we have made 2020 a better year for you, but you certainly have made it a remarkable year for us. I sincerely hope you enjoy reading this book and may the memories bring you bliss and be for evermore.

Tracy Tong Publication Secretary The Finance Students’ Society, HKUSTSU, Session 2020-2021

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FINANCE YEARBOOK

YEAR AT A GLANCE

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Chairperson’s Words Foreword From Our Advisor

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Interview With Professor Interview With Guest

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08 14

Introduction Year Plan

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Orientation Series 2020

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Online Promotion Period

Registration Days Orientation Days Orientation Week

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Group Reunion Mentorship Program 2020

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Investment Series 2020 Webinar: Selected Topics in D.L.T. The 5th Joint University Investment Challenge Chartwell Annual Investment Challenge

Investment Talk - Plan Ahead of Time 2020-2021 Intramural Sports Competition Football Friendly Match Captain’s Words

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Welfare Express 2020-2021 Freshmen’s Words

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Past Chairpersons’ Words

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Conclusion

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Members’ Words

Exco’s Words

Passing On The Legacy

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CHAIRPERSON’S WORDS

This year of office at The Finance Students’ Society, HKUSTSU has passed in the blink of an eye. The voyage of the 28th Session is officially coming to an end. We are deeply honoured to serve as the Executive Committee of The Finance Students’ Society, HKUSTSU, Session 2020-2021.

It was nothing short of a special year filled with hurdles. The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought upon unprecedented challenges to us as well as peers from other students’ societies.

Numerous proposed functions were either postponed or cancelled due to the pandemic. It is of immense regret that we could barely organize any face-to-face functions throughout the year. Still, as the current session of the Society, we have devoted our effort and energy to engage members and promote their interests in the field of finance. Despite all the restrictions, we have cultivated a sense of belonging of our members within the Society and the Department through an array of online events and offline gatherings including Orientation Series 2020 and Mentorship Program 2020.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Sub-Committee members of the Mentorship Program 2020 for their relentless support in such a sticky wicket. (continued)

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(continued) 2020 has never been an easy ride and our minds have been fraught with struggles and doubts, especially when tough decisions were being made. In face of various barriers we have been tackling, the support from members, advisors, faculty, and different connections inside and outside the campus has been the continuous motivation for us to overcome the impediments. On behalf of The Finance Students’ Society, HKUSTSU, Session 2020-2021, I would like to express our wholehearted gratitude to all of you.

First and foremost, I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to my cabinet members.

It had been an indelible year out of ordinary. There were undoubtedly countless moments of frustration, hardships and quarrels during the journey. Our companionship, however, has often been our strength and energy to strive it through all the obstacles. This team might not be the most competent one but we were always able to find our own way to conquer every mountain. We are complementary to one another in making the best out of the situation and this somehow makes us an exceptional team to serve the mission of the Society and be committed to our beliefs.

As the end of the 28th Session is approaching, it is time to pass the baton to the successors. I resolutely believe that FINAPRICITY, The Elected Cabinet of The Finance Students’ Society, HKUSTSU, Session 2021-2022 can inherit the legacy and bring new vitality to the Society.

I genuinely wish The Finance Students’ Society, HKUSTSU and the 29th Cabinet a thriving year ahead.

Hayden Chan Chairperson The Finance Students’ Society, HKUSTSU, Session 2020-2021

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FOREWORD FROM OUR ADVISOR 2020 has been a challenging year forcing most people to adapt to new realities. Unexpected events or shocks disrupt our habitual routines, and jolt us out of our comfort zones. But a silver lining to these setbacks is that we have the opportunity, time and again, to build our resilience as we move along the daunting journey. We cannot change the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we can change the way we look at it. We should look for ways to be positive in the face of the negative. If our mindset is right, we can learn a great deal about ourselves, who we are, and who we can become.

While none of us know for sure what lies ahead after a whirlwind year, the pandemic has waylaid plans and potentially derailed the career trajectories of many people across various industries. It has also put many things in motion and has accelerated trends that would otherwise have taken many years to manifest themselves. It may give birth to new industries and new career paths, and we may have an opportunity to be one of the innovators who help forge new paths. It can also create some new opportunities to push ourselves in ways we would not typically have to, and experience roles, companies, and industries we would have never even considered before.

Some of the most interesting career paths are not linear; they are full of twists and turns that lead to great learning opportunities and multi-dimensional skills. When we do not know what the future will bring, or when the path we thought we were on takes an unexpected turn, it makes sense to pursue a diverse portfolio of options rather than just sticking single-mindedly to one. Regardless of how topsy-turvy your career can seem, every experience is part of our unique story, and we learn and gain something from each one of them. When we have a focus, understand our value, master the magic of our story, and build a supportive and diverse community, the realm of possibilities is endless.

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More importantly, the beauty with breaking through to the growth zone is that as we become equipped at moving through fear, and seeking solutions to barriers, our comfort zone actually expands. We become more and more comfortable with growth, and change, and ultimately transformation. When we are comfortable with transformation, we have nothing holding us back from achieving our potential and can create the life we desire. It echoes with the theme “ICARICIA” of the Mentorship Program 2020 organized by The Finance Students’ Society, HKUSTSU – “mentees are equipped with gilded wings that could overcome the winds of challenge, and encouraged to emerge from their chrysalis of comfort and undergo their own transformations.”

Today, more than ever, the path to our next career will be circuitous. To cover all of the ground we shall need to cover, it is vital to approach our career goals differently in 2021, and let ourselves imagine a divergent set of possible selves and futures. We should embrace that process and explore as many of them as we can.

Vincent Tam Talent Management Lead Hong Kong Productivity Council

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INTERVIEW WITH

PROFESSOR LYNN PI Recently, there are many students trying to buy memes stocks like GameStop, do you think it is a good way to invest in the finance market?

Well, of course the standard answer will be only you know about the fundamentals of the stock. We do encourage investment but not speculation. You should know what you are doing.

Today, many people are doing this like gambling, not even speculation. I guess this is more like having fun.

Some hedge funds are suffering great lost from the short squeeze incident, do you think that this will lead to a bear market in the future?

I don’t think that will lead to a bear market. This is not a trend; it is just like a single incident. But this shows you the impact of social investing. When people gather around, in fact, there has been a lot of research before on when social groups get together and share investment tips, do they move the market (for example). Actually I think this topic has been a research interest for several years since the popularity of Facebook and all these social media.

So, it is not a new topic. From time to time we will see some incidents that catch the public’s attention and of course the significance of it could also increase over time. There are researches on behavioral finance. So, market sentiment obviously is irrational but it doesn’t mean that it has no impact on the market.

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Recently, some actively managed ETF like ARK recorded very impressive performance, do you have any advice for students if they want to invest in some ETFs? I think actively managed ETF are very different from the idea of having ETF when it first started-- it is similar to index funds, for example, the tracker fund. So it is not supposed to be actively managed. Once it is actively managed, then it actually has a large tracking error from the underlying index and would depend on the skills of the manager. But the advantages of the ETF is that it trades like a stock which is very different from a mutual fund which you cannot actively trade. So I guess there are always innovations in financial market and new types of securities will emerge for students. But it is sort of encouraging a more volatile market. In the past, investors buy hedge funds or actively managed funds. They are supposed to hold the fund for long time. You cannot change your subscription very easily but now there is an ETF that can be very volatile because you buy and sell it, so there are always pros and cons for these securities. If you are an investor and you want to invest in actively managed ETF, then you should treat it just like an actively managed funds, and you need to weigh the benefits over its disadvantages.

The benefits will probably be lower transaction cost, lower management fees. But the other disadvantages will be, for example, managers having very little control over the holdings if there are a lot of sellings. Therefore, I think you always have to be very cautious.

Would you encourage young people to bear a higher risk in their investment?

I think you can consider this as taking an investment lesson. If you are willing to pay the tuition, whereas many students don’t have a chance to take the finance course or investment course, but if they can set aside 10 thousand HKD or more, then they are willing to lose it as an experiment. I think this is a good lesson to learn, but of course, you should not use any leverage. So, limit the amount, and treat it just like an investment on your own investment knowledge. You should be very clear on the amount of the investment - your capital, so never use leverage, don’t go beyond your ability, then I think it is okay. Some students are very risk-taking, but I think a very important rule of thumb is at the same time, you can treat it as an investment game, but you really should learn more through the process. I think many students are interested about investment but through learning with these experiences you will learn about different investment strategies, know more about the fundamentals so you can develop more systematic knowledge on it. So you should treat it like an investment game. (continued)

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Some other things that I would like to encourage students to do is to play with virtual money.

There are actually a lot of investment games. You can start with capital, you can set up a portfolio, trade hypothetical money, but keep track of all your transactions. Maybe, if you do this for six months, you will have more confidence and know what you are doing, then, you can invest with the real money.

There are many new forms of finance in the market like fintech, so can you give some advice to our students to prepare for those new career opportunities? Like what kind of skills they have to be equipped with?

I think you probably should not just look at fintech, technology is definitely shaping the industry, right now technology is not just being applied in the finance sector, it is overall. Like our classes, it is on zoom. So technology for sure everyone of you, everyone of us including like the older generations, we have to prepare for the changes in technology. So anything which can count, for example, understanding about the programming, if you want to have a career in that, I think basic understanding of programming languages if you are really interest in the tech side. So I think that’s important. That’s why we have courses in for example R language and blockchain. I think some important understanding of this, but understanding in that versus to be an expertise is very different. So if you really want to have a career in that so of course you need to like studying more technical courses. But on the other hand, the technology is still just the tool, the substances is more important because no matter you use paper to record transactions, you use high power computers, the buy sell decisions still base on the understanding of finance principles. So I guess the tools you should not probably put too much emphasis on the tech side, the tech side the tools, but the principles are still the fundamentals to driving.

So you can consider the tech as an advantage but if you are an finance expert and you have some understanding about the technology that will give you an advantage. But if you are tech guy, you have no knowledge about finance, you will still be just a tech guy, just like computer science, I mean nothing wrong with that but they are two very different directions.

Do you have any words for the 28th executive committee?

I think you’ve already done very well. This is a very difficult year, but we have already said that.

Unfortunately, the pandemic situation has not really eased, and on the good side is that we are more adapted, but on the downside is that this has been too long - we are sick of the current situation, we don’t want this to be the new normal, we want to resume to the previous days.

We can accept changes, but we don’t want this current situation to be prolonged. In any case, I think the word is perseverance. It is endurance - the perseverance to maintain the positive

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attitude because I know that this is not a short, temporarily, transitional period. It has already been a year, so to live through the next year, the challenges, you have to stay more positive.

This is not going away soon so you have to adapt to this. You said this is new normal, but we all want to go back. However, we still have to endure - to have the energy and perseverance to endure the next six or twelve months before things really go back to normal. And I think through the use of technology, many activities have to be online, in a virtual format. So, how do you make the best use of it? Everyone knows the pros and cons, however, I think the benefits of virtual meeting was not explored at the max. With the convenience of virtual meeting, many people tend to think that things are convenient and don’t take it seriously. This is the main problem. Even though there are conveniences for online lectures, meetings and workshops, the effectiveness has dropped. I think we don’t take this too seriously; it is too easy. But this comes at a price, for when things are too easy and convenient to get, you don’t value it. That’s what I meant. At the same time, in the past, if you spent an hour to lecture, you will be more attentive, but now spending an hour having your lecture at home, the effectiveness has gone down. As for The Student Society, you are on the same side as the faculty, you are trying to organize activities for the students, you see their participation rate has dropped. I think these are some hurdles we have to overcome. So you as a student, you are a participant. But as an organizer, then you know the challenges of how difficult it is to engage if you are on the other side. So I think it is a challenge we all have to face on how to better engage students, and maybe from the students’ standpoint, you have more hands-on experience, you can think about this and try to improve the effectiveness of these online activities.

Prof. Lynn Pi

Associate Professor of Business Education Senior Lecturer in the Department of Finance

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INTERVIEW WITH

GUEST - MICKY LO Micky Lo is the Chief Technology Risk Officer for Bank of

New York Mellon based in Hong Kong, in charge of many IT and risk-related services of seven countries in APAC and also India. His primary role is to ensure the bank’s full compliance to the internal policies, as well as the regulations pertaining to technology operations in bank. Graduated with a degree in Computer Science, he had been working with various banks and both technology management and risk management for the past 30 years.

How did you get into the financial technology industry and how did you actually determine that it was what you wanted to do?

After my graduation, I worked for Cathay Pacific as a system engineer for 3 years. I did enjoy the work, but at that time I didn’t realise that wasn’t really my cup of tea to be engineering data centers all the time. There was a time I came across a specific advertisement posted in the classified section where people could look for jobs on the South China Morning Post. That particular advertisement simply included one question ‘are you tired of engineering?’ with a mailbox below. However, there was no company name nor job nature, I just presumed that it was reliable if such advertisement could be posted on SCMP at that time.

Then I decided to apply for that job despite I didn’t know what it was nor which company. A month later, I found out that it was actually an advertisement from the Citibank, inviting IT professionals to join their audit team and do IT audit, that was the time I discovered myself to be someone

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who would like to explore opportunities and take risk. I didn’t have any audit experience and I had no idea why Citibank would offer me the opportunity, but in any case, I trusted the bank that they might have seen my potentials and that I had nothing to lose. I guess my message here is, be brave and be ready to take risk. I took that risk at the right time, and then I started discovering my interest and that was how I put my first step in financial industries. So, I started with all that and worked for 7 years, and then gradually moved into other areas of technology within the financial sector, so that’s how I started with financial technology now.

Have you face any challenges or struggles throughout your career?

Well, there have been many challenges and struggles. I guess it’s a very common question, even among students. It’s relatively easy for me to give you advice, because after having 30 years of work experience, I can certainly look back and answer those questions, but if I put myself back into 30 years ago, I had no idea what I really wanted to do at that time. I knew that I did not want to pursue a career as a system engineer or as a geek, that’s why I chose not to join a well-known technology company like IBM at that time, but throughout my career in financial industries as a technologist and risk manager, I had many challenges in terms of how I balance between managing people, improving my own skills to move upward and also how to balance my personal life and work life, and how to tackle challenge when I have so many colleagues and team members, even in overseas, as I had never learned how to manage a regional or global team at school.

Another thing I came across was cultural challenge. When I went to work, my colleagues were from different countries and ethnic backgrounds, and they spoke different languages even today. With so many different nationalities, each of us had very different backgrounds in terms of culture and belief, so how could I recognize the differences and be able to embrace those differences and work harmoniously as a team?

That’s something I view as a challenge and am still learning, even after 30 years of work experience, I think I’m still improving on a daily basis. One advice I’d like to give to you all is that you should leverage your time in school and try to mingle with students from other countries, so that you can start learning how to work with people from other countries and nationalities, and prepare yourself that when you go to work, perhaps in a global organisation or a regional organisation, you will have no choice but to work with people from other countries, so that’s a specific challenge you will never be able to avoid. Even if you work for a local company, you may still have to work with colleagues from other locations as well. (continued)

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As for other obstacles, a year after I started working, I realized that whatever I learned at school was not really applicable to work because I would have new things to learn, almost on daily basis, so I thought school only taught us how to gain new knowledge and acquire skills. Therefore, I learned how to learn at school, and when I came out to work, I just continued to learn new stuff, I’m still learning even today, especially in technology world, emerging technology comes out every day, so I need to find a way to acquire the knowledge that I can apply to work in a relatively short time, so this is a constant challenge that you all have to face, so don’t conclude to yourself that you will finish learning once you graduate. In fact, it’s the start of the learning.

Speaking of challenges, the pandemic is obviously a huge challenge. Are there any big changes or modifications to the industry under the pandemic?

Indeed, there is. I can only speak for the financial sector, but I think this also applies to other sectors as well. Having a robust remote working environment that allows people to work from home is like a new norm. I don’t think any of us would have imagined two years ago that there would be so much usage of tools like Zoom and WebEx and Teams and so forth. But now, I think everyone, including the old generation like myself, we all use virtual platform to communicate, so this becomes a new norm. We used to meet our clients in person and had them sign on documents and so forth. Now, with this new norm, we no longer have in-person client meetings, so we need to hold meetings with them on virtual platform.

Now the question is how do we trust the virtual platform, how do we know, right now, that there is no one tapping into the Zoom meeting and listening to our conversation? We honestly don’t know. It might be okay for academic discussion, but it might not be acceptable for business discussion because we might lose confidential information if we are not careful enough to secure the conversation. Another thing is how do we make sure the conversation would not be interrupted, so the reliability of the remote working environment is very crucial, not only the bank has to offer a reliable network connection, but the household WIFI connection also has to be stable to avoid performance issues. Today in a remote virtual office environment, how do we sign contract with our clients? Actually, with digitalization, clients can sign the contract electronically.

That’s only a tip of the iceberg and the beginning of a journey in terms of digitalization. We’re moving more and more into virtual platform and trading. I think it was the right timing for HKMA to have granted a virtual bank license a year ago, perhaps they foresaw the impact of -

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the outbreak of Covid-19. So, do expect the financial sectors to transform virtually. You may see fewer branches, or even fewer ATM machines, but why do you need them when you have an electronic wallet on the internet? Therefore, this is a new norm.

Another side effect we are looking at is real estate footprint. Do we need that much office space to move forward?

We do expect that people are so used to work from home now, maybe a new norm is to allow people to have more flexible working environment. Perhaps they might be working in an office for 2 days ,then 3 days at home and so forth. In that case we don’t need a desk for each person, we can have sharing desks like the concept of hotels, which in fact has been deployed by most consulting firms. They expect most of the employees to be at the client’s site, in that case they do need 100% office footprint for each employee.

Those are the things I’ve been looking at right now and transforming more into both digital and virtual space.

What are your views on virtual banks?

I personally have not been to a bank for many years. In fact, I only went to ATM machines for withdrawing cash, which I am not using that often nowadays because of the electronic wallet and different kinds of e-payment systems. So, whether we like the idea of virtual banks or not, it’s a norm. Virtual banks enable flexibility and accessibility on a virtual basis such that we don’t have to physically visit a bank. Moreover, there is an improved authentication mechanism to allow authentication or validation of identity. The bank will validate our identity, and the bank’s identity will be validated as well through a trust certificate and so forth, which will give us more reassurance. Virtual banks are now moving more and more into validating customers through different dimensions of customer credit portfolio.

Traditionally, we show our ID card to validate our claim identity, but that requires physical touch. In a virtual environment, we can still only rely on scanning our ID card and so forth.

FinTech is looking into the behavior of an individual through different social media platforms in order to validate the identity. But whether we like it or not, what we are doing on social platforms like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, are not really private transactions and a lot of companies can see the transactions on all those platforms. (continued)

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There’s no difference from the credit bureau, they can look at your purchasing power and payback power to the credit card company that determines your credit portfolio, so instead of having to submit forms and such, we can monitor all those activities that an individual incurs in the internet world, and then we can determine based on those activities: first, identity; and second, perhaps the credit history of the individual.

I think the virtual banks give the young generation like you a different channel to do banking, especially for those of you who are so used to the virtual environment. You don’t really have to make an appointment to get all the banking services that you need, and hopefully when we have a complete implementation of electronic wallet and payment systems, we don’t even need cash. In fact, there are more discussions on how we should not use cash, for cash itself may be contaminated with germs and viruses especially due to the pandemic, and that people are using less cash right now.

How can students prepare themselves for the digital age in the financial industry?

Most of the virtual banks, not only in Hong Kong, but on a worldwide basis, they are really targeting students as the major client segment, so first of all I would suggest you start consuming those virtual services, get to know how to deal with all that in your daily life, so that you can start feeling comfortable with that. Secondly, I’m sure the curriculum at your school includes different courses that are about FinTech, digitalization, innovation and so forth. Get yourselves into those modules, attend those classes and learn as much as you can. Thirdly, make use of the most effective tool in which you can get all the information—the internet. We can search almost everything on the internet. By combining your actual experience with virtual banks and knowledge gained from the curriculum training in FinTech, you can better prepare yourselves for the digitalization in the future. I recommend you develop a thinking process that enables yourselves to challenge things out of the box. Always question and find ways to improve yourselves.

Since the industry is ever evolving, we have to learn a lot. How do you maintain a work-life balance personally?

The term ‘work-life balance’ was widely discussed 10 years ago, and now I’m seeing more and more change of terminology, we call it work-life integration. Sometimes I cannot differentiate whether I’m actually working or living my personal life, especially when I work from home. So, I think we should take a step back, do not try to carve out certain hours of the day and call it

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personal time and make the rest working hours.

There’s no specific boundary in the global business working environment, especially in a banking or technological environment, the work is more like on a project basis, there’s a beginning and an end with every project. There’s no specific time frame in between, like how many hours you have to spend on the databases, there’s no such thing. You have to get up and work whenever you have ideas, that’s the kind of work life I am having now.

In a global banking environment, Hong Kong market opens at 8am and closes at 5 or 6pm, while the UK market opens at 4pm and closes at 12am HKT. The US market opens at 9pm local time and closes at 6 or 7am local time. For those who trade in the global markets, they basically don’t have to sleep. But of course, we do need to give certain hours for our brains to rest when we don’t have to work, like doing exercise.

The most important thing is to find a job that you enjoy so that you don’t have to feel like you are dragging yourselves to work every day. Be passionate in what you do. Find your own career that will help you pursue your dream. Then you will like your job so much that the boundary between work and personal life becomes vague. I’m not suggesting not to have a personal life, you may have a boyfriend or girlfriend, you are still going to have that. I am just trying to say it’s very difficult to draw a specific boundary.

What you have to do is to plan your time. For example, I usually get up early before the start of office hours so that I can finish catching up with my emails from the US. Then I leave home at 8, by the time I arrive at the office I start working on the APAC business. After that I always visit the gym room at 5. After an hour or so I will go home and have a quick dinner, then I will start my day with the US, all the evening calls and socializing until 12 or 1. For those who might not like it they may think that I have no personal life at all since I basically work every day, including the weekends. It all goes back to my previous point and that is, you have to enjoy it. Otherwise, even 2 hours a day would be too much for you.

Is there anything you want to stress on or any words of encouragement that you think is important?

We really look forward to having you to come reshape and change the way we operate with refreshing ideas once you graduate. Most organizations keep hiring graduates, the old generation has to retire and be replaced by the new generations, that’s how the world works. You are the future energy and leaders, so what I want to tell you is that make sure you maximize these

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4 years in college, while you’re pushing your study, you should also broaden your horizon.

One of the important things to do is to participate in internships. Do not only look for renowned companies. I think you should expose yourselves to as many areas as possible when you have nothing to lose at this point.

Secondly, Hong Kong is just a very small financial center in the world, so you better ask yourself how well do you know the economy around the world. I’m sure when you go to attend a job interview, those related questions will be asked because we want to see how connected you are with the rest of the world and whether you have a global vision.

Also, you should participate more in the exchange programs and choose to go to the countries that will bring you challenges like environment that you’re not familiar with, languages that you don’t know, etc., so that you would know how to overcome those difficulties. By adding these experiences to you resume, you can convince your interviewer that you are up for challenges.

Micky Lo Chief Technology Risk Officer Bank of New York Mellon

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INTRODUCTION -

Ardor, Variety, Inspiration, Obligation, Radiance

The Finance Students’ Society, HKUSTSU is a non-profit student organization founded in 1992 under the HKUST Department of Finance. We undertake the responsibility of connecting our members with the Department and cultivating their interest in finance. We strive to strengthen the bonding between the members of our Society, grasp and create opportunities to help them gear up for the business world, and to provide stress-relieving activities allowing them to expand their social network. As one of the most entrenched students’ societies in HKUST, we hope to build a rewarding university life with our members by serving them both academically and leisurely.

The Finance Students’ Society, HKUSTSU, Session 2020-2021

Bleed Blue

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YEAR PLAN NON-JUPAS REGISTRATION DAY

JULY

AUGUST

ORIENTATION WEEK ORIENTATION NIGHT (CANCELLED) SUB-COMMITTEE RECRUITMENT

SEPTEMBER

JUPAS REGISTRATION DAY ORIENTATION DAYS

OCTOBER

FINANCE FESTIV FALL SEMESTER

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MENTORSHIP PROGRAM HIGH TABLE DINNER (CANCELLED) INFORMATION SESSION

NOVEMBER

VAL (CANCELLED) R WELFARE EXPRESS

MARCH

INTRAMURAL SPORTS COMPETITION FINANCE NEWSLETTER

WHOLE YEAR

SPRING SEMESTER WELFARE EXPRESS FINANCE YEARBOOK PUBLICATION

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2020-2021

ONLINE PROMOTION PERIOD The Online Promotion Period commenced on the 7th of February 2020. It aimed to introduce the proposed cabinet members to the HKUST community and allow the members to gain hands-on experience from organizing events and strengthen the bonding with one another.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Finavior, The Nominated Cabinet of The Finance Students’ Society, HKUSTSU, Session 2020-2021 connected with members and gained their support in an unprecedented way. We made use of the social media to interact with member of our Society everyday instead of running a booth this year. We had a series of interactive, entertaining and informative updates posted online to make sure our members and audiences did not feel any less connected to us nor to the Society than in face-to-face practice. The live broadcasts, lucky draws and daily polling had successfully attracted hundreds of students to get to know more about us.

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During the three-week Promotion Period, we had set up a platform that was opened for comments and suggestions in order to facilitate two-way communication with HKUST students. Live broadcasts, Q&A sessions, lucky draw, interactive polling and games were scheduled for our members and followers to find out more about each of us and our roles. We strived to show them our passion and capability to uphold the legacy of FSS.

The Online Promotion Period ended on the 21st of February 2020 and a 2-day Polling Period started on 29th February 2020 via Qualtrics. Thanks to the support from our members, Finavior was declared as The Elected Cabinet of The Finance Students’ Society, HKUSTSU, Session 2020-2021 on the 4th of March.

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ORIENTATION SERIES 2020 University life can be promising but also intimidating, which is why the Orientation Series was highly valued in our event planning. An array of activities was designed to welcome our freshmen with guidance and warmth, in hopes of allowing them to establish profound friendships with like-minded peers and have a place called home, so that their journey in HKUST could be started off with fond memories.

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REGISTRATION DAYS

E-booklet was published online on Non-Jupas Registration day, reaching over 400 reads. It covers all the fundamental yet important information for freshmen to better prepare for their journey in UST, such as transportation, useful apps, landmarks, catering, amenities, basic Zoom functions, and many more.

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The Registration Days were a great opportunity for us to meet the freshmen and to provide them with guidance and support in exploring more about HKUST and our Society in particular. We hoped to welcome freshmen to the HKUST community with a sneak peek of our events, orientation brochure and souvenirs. To make up for the loss of not being able to greet our freshmen face-to-face, we had several online interactive events, ranging from Zoom information sessions to Instagram live broadcasts, e-booklet to lucky draws. Seeing the new and happy faces on Zoom and active responses on Instagram was a tremendous momentum for us to serve the Society with our best effort.

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Zoom Consulting Sessions were conducted to introduce our Society and its culture to the University’s newest members.

An interview video was produced to introduce different business majors in HKUST in hopes of helping freshmen to have a deeper understanding before considering their majors.

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To make up for the regret of having to hold orientation events online and limiting opening hours of FINA counter this year, we had made a video to promote Orientation Series 2020 and were hoping it could remind our members of all the fun and memories we had together and serve as a sneak peek for the freshmen, giving them something to look forward to as FINA Orientation Days approached.

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ORIENTATION DAYS

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In view of the pandemic this year, we have transformed the physical Orientation Camp to online Zoom Orientation Days. With the goal of creating a summer to remember for the freshmen as to kickstart their university life, we have designed an original online game named “Fina Crossing” via Zoom. Our freshmen had been divided into different groups led by senior students and played various check point games with incredible team work. We were delighted to see them establishing invaluable and long-lasting friendships during the Orientation Days.

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ORIENTATION WEEK

Another video was produced mainly to target our freshmen as they might not be familiar with the UST culture. To better help them adapt to the university life here in UST, we had conducted a street interview and a brief campus tour, summarizing the characteristics of students in UST, basic information of hall, learning environment, etc.

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To mark the refreshing start of the new semester, we welcomed our new members and expressed our gratitude to the current members with assorted Society products throughout the Orientation Week period, which was from the 14th of September to the 21st of September, 2020. We were pleased to have 108 new members joining us this year, and more than 70 specially designed Society T-shirts, files and papers were given out in the semester.

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#Group 1

#Group 2

#Group 3

#Group 4

#Group 5

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GROUP REUNION

Looking back to our freshman year, if it wasn’t The Finance Students’ Society, we wouldn’t have a place in the entire university called home. Now as the Executive Committee, we all want the freshmen to have the same thing: genuine friendships that make good times better and hard times easier. The online Orientation Days allowed the freshmen to break the ice; WhatsApp groups were opened to better facilitate communication; some virtual events that we’ve organized also offered them opportunities to meet freshmen from other groups. However, we noticed that there wasn’t really a chance for them to bond. Group reunions had become increasingly significant in helping them connect with one another. Despite restrictions imposed by the prohibition on group gathering, we managed to have group reunions from time to time so that the freshmen can get closer and meeting more frequently with their peers, jobamas and the Executive Committee.

#Group 6

#Group 7

#Group 8

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MENTORSHIP PROGRAM 2020

The Mentorship Program has always been a highlight event where expectations lay, and this year was no exception. Just as everyone strives to adapt to the online new-normal, our Society upholds high standards when we carried the Program over to this virtual platform for the first time. Nonetheless, we aimed to bridge future impact-makers and veterans who were eager to give. Owing to the hard work of all Executive Committee members, feedback from our respected mentors were widely positive.

The Program was proudly held under the theme “ICARICIA – Break from Silkened Comfort, Soar with Gilded Wings”. The ICARICIA is a genus of mesmerizing blue-colored butterflies, sometimes ornamented near the margins with dark patterns. Seeing the exquisite fairy dance in the air might be easy on the eye, but not many see past its bewitching sapphire wings.

Challenges fought through, obstacles surmounted. Certainly it was not born a divine and elegant fairy. ICARICIA embodies diligence in thriving through difficulties, and determination to learn through adversity. Like lepidopterists, mentors act as caretakers to propagate and nurture delicate mentees, before they transform, emerge and take flight, like the majestic ICARICIA. This year, we innovated the traditional matching to maximize gains acquired by both our experienced professionals and our young devotees. We introduced a wing-and-flutter system, allowing mentor-mentee matches to come together. On top of extra connections cultivated, we were pleased to see mentors and mentees share their unique stories with more people. We believe the magics sparked when brains collide are, fascinatingly, the most valuable.

- ICARICIA ‘BREAK FROM SILKENED COMFORT, SOAR WITH GILDED WINGS’

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CAREER TALK To kickstart the Career Series of Mentorship Program 2020, we are glad to have invited Mr. Vincent Tam, a certified public accountant, chartered banker, and full member of various global professional associations for the first Career Talk Tips on Enhancing Your Employability during Challenging Times. This career talk aims to lead participants in developing a fruitful and unique career path through providing directions to being a well-equipped candidate for your interested field.

Useful contents like tips on developing personal branding, building a professional network and some exam or qualification recommendations are suggested to strengthen students’ work readiness. This informative webinar kicks off our upcoming fruitful Industry Talks series of the Mentorship Program.

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FINANCE TALK

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The Finance Talk was held in November 2020, and mainly led by our Sub-committee members. Our Society has invited 2 guest speakers, Mr. Kelvin Tam and Mr. Colin Tsang, who are experts in the financial technology and wealth management field respectively. The speakers shared their past experiences, industry insights, upcoming trends in the world of finance. They also mentioned how they overcame the challenges they faced in their journey, which enabled them to stand out in the business world. They offered guidance to the participants on what the industry looks for in students, and on what mindset to have in order to achieve higher.

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CONSULTING TALK Held in November, the Consulting Talk aimed to provide valuable industry insights for FSS members, especially those who were planning to pursue a career in consulting. We have invited two seasoned consultants, Mr Ronald Tse who is an IBM consultant and Mr Falcon Chan who is a partner at Deloitte Consulting Strategy and Operations, as guest speakers. The guest speakers provided an overview of the consulting industry and the profession’s future prospects. They were generous in sharing their own experiences and walked our members through the life of a consultant. Our members found the talk enriching as they have learnt how to equip themselves for the vibrant industry.

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP TALK

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Closing off the Industry Talk series, we were pleased to host our Entrepreneurship Talk. We were honoured to have Mr. Alvin Kwock, an esteemed entrepreneurship icon and a devoted educator, inspires us with his stories. The forum shed light on the essentials of entrepreneurship, an outline of the local entrepreneurial environment, and its future opportunities. The talk enlightened participants on their career pursuit, arming them with the needed qualities of an aspiring entrepreneur.

Participants mingled with the speaker at the end of the session, engaging in a thought-provoking conversation through the exchange of ideas.

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VIRTUAL KICKOFF An official large-scale event is well-needed to tie the virtual program together.

Held in early December, facilitated the first meeting between mentors and mentees. The Kickoff introduced the vision of ICARICIA, our Program structure and the new matching system for participants to better understand the objectives of our Society and be in the right mindset in building connections. The mingling sessions within Flutters sparked new conversation and exchange of ideas. It may sound unconventional to have a Kickoff as the last event of the program, but the Kickoff’s main goal was to symbolize the beginning of new bondings, and we are glad to receive great feedback and support from our participants. Although the Mentorship Program came to an end, we are sure that the connections made would last a lifetime.

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INVESTMENT SERIES 2020 WEBINAR: SELECTED TOPICS IN D.L.T. This webinar was hosted by our Society in collaboration with HKU Business and Economics Association. We also partnered with 180 Degrees Consulting HKUST Branch and HKU Branch to extend our event audience. Guest speaker Mr. Martin Wong is a member of our Society and the co-founder of LookSea Digital Solutions, a local Fintech startup. As an expert in Distributed Ledger Technology (D.L.T.), Mr Wong guided us through the basics of Blockchain, its use cases, limitations, and future implications. Our Society would like to thank Mr. Wong, LookSea Digital Solutions, and all collaborators and partners for making this virtual event possible.

CHARTWELL ANNUAL INVESTMENT CHALLENGE The 4th Annual Value Investing Challenge was held in Fall 2020, hosted by Chartwell Capital, HKUST Business School, and co-organized by our Society. The competition aims to promote a value investing approach and encourage students to perform bottom-up, fundamental stock pricing investment research in the Asia-Pacific region. The first round of the Challenge has been held with great success, with 37 report submissions. Chartwell has graded all reports and selected 6 teams of finalists, which all presented in the final presentation. We are honoured to have two of our

Executive Committee members as the Masters of Ceremonies of the final presentation and awards ceremony. Our judging panel consisted of Mr William Tsang from Chartwell Capital, and Professor Ekka Chai from the Department of Finance. The three best performing teams were awarded with certificates and cash prizes.

The 4th Annual Value Investing Challenge 2020 A good investment, according to Benjamin Graham, is “one which, upon thorough analysis, promises safety of principal and an adequate return.” The competition aims to promote value investing approach and encourage students to perform fundamental, bottom-up stock pricing investment research in the Asia-Pacific Region. Contestants are required to work individually to conduct stock valuation, to write an investment research report and to present his/her research on a company publicly listed on an Asia-Pacific exchange.

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Student Eligibility •

Undergraduate students from all years, schools & majors are welcome.

Undergraduate students should apply in group of minimum 2 students and maximum 3 students.

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Winner Prizes •

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Cash prize: First place – HKD 12,000 Second place – HKD 7,500 Third place – HKD 4,500 Certificate of Excellence for all finalists Members of winning team who apply for internships at Chartwell Capital will automatically go to the final round of the interview for the internship position

Challenge Timeline Sept 7 – 30, 2020 Sept 21 & 23, 2020

Challenge Submission Deadline

Nov 26 – 27, 2020

Announcement of Finalists

Dec 7 – 9, 2020

Finalist Presentation & Announcement of Winner

Registration

Register via link or scan the QR code Workshop Registration https://bit.ly/32ARy0G Challenge Registration https://bit.ly/2EuUAeJ

c Workshop Registration

Enquiry

HKUST Department of Finance • Professor Ekkachai Saenyasiri • Professor Lynn Pi

Tel: (852) 9618 9986 Email: su_fina@connect.ust.hk

Organizers

Challenge Workshop 6:30 pm – 8 pm Registration Deadline

Nov 13, 2020

Judging Panel

Chartwell Capital • Ronald Chan - Founder, Chief Investment Officer • William Tsang - Head of Research, Portfolio Manager

Registration Period

Sept 30, 2020

Challenge Registration

Tiffany Fung Miki Yeung External Vice-Chairperson Program Officer The Finance Students’ Society, Department of Finance, HKUSTSU, Session 2020-2021 HKUST Tel: (852) 3469 2014 Email: mikiyeung@ust.hk

Co-organizer

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THE FIFTH JOINT UNIVERSITY INVESTMENT GAME The Fifth Joint University Investment Game (JUIG 5), co-organised by I-Access and 20 student societies from Hong Kong and Shenzhen, was successfully held in Fall 2020 on virtual means. Over 1600 students subscribed to the event, in which they were provided a platform for to trade in a real-time market simulation with data provided by HKEX. This was our 5th year collaborating with JUIG5, and our Society had put our utmost effort to ensure the event quality under virtual circumstances. We were honoured to have two of our Executive Committee members as Masters of Closing Ceremony and host the shooting of the Closing Ceremony video to close off the event.

INVESTMENT TALK - PLAN AHEAD OF TIME This investment talk was co-hosted by The Finance Students’ Society, HKUSTSU and P.B. Group Wealth Management Department.

The talk focused on the financial planning industry and how financial firms offer customised products for each client. We were grateful to have Mr. Colin Tsang, the Business Director of P.B. Group Wealth Management Department as a young professional in the financial and investment industry to share with us his insights on career planning and the current market situation.

The event would not have been successful without the concerted efforts of each party,

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hope that our society’s members have gained more knowledge of this industry and develop more opportunities in their future career path.

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2020-2021

INTRAMURAL SPORTS COMPETITION FOOTBALL FRIENDLY MATCH Due to the pandemic and closures of facilities booking, it was unfortunate that only two football friendly matches could be organised. Despite the severe situation that kept our Football Team apart from training together, we have achieved great results in competing with The Electronic and Computer Engineering Students’ Society Football Team by 2-1 on 6th November, 2020. We also won the match with The Civil and Environmental Engineering Students’ Society Football Team by 3-2 on 23rd February, 2021. Our team had shown great teamwork between one another and performed outstandingly with some new players joining the team.

We believe that the team could continue to strive for excellence in the future, and everyone is looking forward to the games and matches in the coming academic years.

“It was a great pleasure for me to be the Football Team Captain of The Finance Students’ Society this year. First, I would like to say a big thank you to all my teammates for the support and cheers for each other all the time.

It was such a pity that we could not have lots of opportunities to play football together this year because of the severe ongoing pandemic. Yet, the friendly match we had was fruitful and enjoyable. Although our teammates didn’t meet up frequently with some new members joining us, we built great teamwork and our performance was spot-on.

We are all looking forward to continuing growing together next year and onwards, striving our very best and to achieve even better in competitions in the name of our Society.”

Matthew Tai Captain of FINA Football Team

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2020-2021

WELFARE EXPRESS To promote the Society and connect our members, the Executive Committee has organized the Welfare Express in the Fall Semester and Spring Semester in 2020 and 2021 respectively.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University conducted all lectures in purely online mode and most of the campus activities were halted. Since the opening hours of the regular counter was being limited, the Welfare Express was held online and we provide multiple delivery options for our members. Members can choose either counter pickup or SF express delivery.

In the two Welfare Expresses, we offer welfare products including but not limited to laptop sleeves, hoodies, cross-body bags and mobile phone stands. We would like to express our gratitude to those who supported our programs and we hope all of you enjoy our products.

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FRESHMEN’S WORDS A “

s a freshman in HKUST, I often feel perplexed in the atmosphere of the university in which I need to start over, from being a senior at secondary school to being the unknown face on campus. The difference between university life and secondary school life has made me struggled a lot, as I am now the one who is responsible for taking care of myself and deciding my future pathway.

The executive members I met in The Finance Students’ Society, HKUSTSU, Session 2020-2021 have been helping me a lot in the journey of transiting to a university student. Moreover, I am fortunate to establish close bonding with both seniors and other freshmen through the Society’s events.

I am grateful for all the hard work of the executive committee in bringing an unforgettable and warm-welcoming experience to all freshmen like me.

Time flies, but all the great memories I had in the Society will last forever.”

- Kelvin Wong

“

Genuine friendships, true connections and a place to call home —— the things we all yearn for, and yet, the things that are so hard to find. But I found them all here in FSS.

Their Odays was one of the best ones I had joined and joining their Odays turned to be one of the best decisions I have made in UST. In that Odays, I met some of my closet friends here. We bonded quickly, and the activities held by the executive committees definitely acted as a catalyst. I’m thankful that they took time to organise meet-ups quite frequently despite their hectic schedules. They really helped me be less stressed and adapt to this new environment faster.

But it wasn’t always just playing hard and messing around. They also held quite a lot of useful and enlightening career talks that equipped me with some new insights into several industries. Without these talks, I’d probably still be fooling around and wasting my time on meaningless things. I also met my mentor through their Mentorship Program, who truly inspired me and never hesitated to share his insights with me or answer my silly questions.

Perhaps, joining FSS gave me more than merely friendships and a place I belong. What I also earned was guidance that would benefit me for life.”

- Aspen Lam

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FRESHMEN’S WORDS T “

he first time I browsed the Instagram page of The Finance Students’ Society, I was instantly charmed by its fresh and energetic dynamic. Without hesitation, I participated in their online Orientation Day, which didn’t dishearten me.

Even though the event was conducted on zoom, the seniors and executives performed a fascinating job in guiding the freshmen throughout the event. They maintained the enthusiasm of the group thoroughly, barely any dead air times. After a few reunions, I got to know most of the freshmen in my group whereas most of them have kept in close touch with me up till now!

What’s more, the seniors would spontaneously offer us tons of information about UST in both academia and cultures. It considerably helps a lot. The connections that I established genuinely supported me get familiar with this unknown environment as well. It is so thrilling to affiliate with this society as it embarks on my voyages in UST!” - Matthew Lee

“

Being the only student who entered HKUST Business School from my high school this

year, I was puzzled and dazed by the new environment as I had no friends at all. But joining the Orientation Days of The Finance Students’ Society changed everything. I was able to make new friends, and these friends assisted me in a number of ways during my time at HKUST. We joined case competitions and enjoyed our hall life together. I expected my university life to be mundane under the pandemic, but FINA has provided me with priceless memories with friends that I will never forget. I never expected that my freshman year to be so fruitful. In addition, FINA’s academic-oriented programmes, such as the Mentorship Program, have provided me with hard and soft skills that will aid in the shaping of my career path.”

- Milly Ho

“

FINA has brought me a wonderful freshman life in UST. Although the pandemic had

led to a cancelled physical orientation program, however, FINA has done an excellent job in welcoming freshmen like me. The online orientation program was enjoyable and remarkable. I had a lot of fun with other newcomers, members and the Executive Committee members. We enjoyed a great time in the activities. On the other hand, it had also offered me an opportunity to engage in academic events. Throughout the Mentoring Program, I had participated in serveral talks and workshops, met with my mentors and received lots of opinions on how to plan my career and future. I feel so lucky to have FINA in my freshman uni-life at HKUST, my memories in FINA were extraordinary, and simply unforgettable. Thank you for the care and support from the excos. Thanks to everyone in this big family.”

- Christy Hung

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FRESHMEN’S WORDS T “

his year was an absolutely arduous year for every freshman due to the unexpected pandemic that everybody faces; however, joining the FINA’s orientation camp not only eased the dreadful situation that I was in, but it is also a great occasion for me to meet a bunch of welcoming people, and possibly lifelong friends or soulmates. To be honest, I did not expect much from an orientation camp due to the whole pandemic; but the execution of this year’s peculiar orientation camp left me dumbfounded; who could’ve thought an online version of the orientation camp would flourish! Through the regular chat sessions accompanied with fun and games, our group slowly developed a special and perhaps inseparable bond; with gentle honesty, these pleasant experiences surely left footprints in my heart, and almost impossible to forget.Furthermore, apart from all the fun we had, the people in here especially the executive committees were like a lighthouse to us, providing guidance on how to navigate through the common struggles every freshman faces in the university. Subsequently these crucial advices did help us swam through the ocean of roughness and difficulties, paving our way of living a better university life. I would like to once again express my gratitude to everyone who took part for their effort, for making the most out of the dire situation and for much the kindness received.”

- Kuver Sio

“

Under the times of the unprecedented pandemic, never have I expected for something

energetic and empowering to kickstart my university life. But joining FINA’s orientation camp has definitely fruitful and rewarding experience and has impacted my life in the famed “University of Stress and Tension” with a shed of positive light on it.

Here in FINA, I have met some of the most talented and friendly individuals to mingle over gatherings and zoom events. It has certainly wiped out my fear for socialising when all the online learning is going on. We were having these unforgettable moments at night with having different deep chat sessions, exchanged some of our things in life and expectations for the future. Certainly do I have learnt a lot from my groupmates, but also be inspired and empowered with having such a firm community to kick off my first year.

Kudos to all the executives committees and “Jobamas” as well, without their unremitting effort, pouring blood, sweat and tears in organising every events. I’m sure it does make a huge difference from the smooth and well-streamlined experiences that I have had. Once again, I want to thank the Executive Committee of The Finance Students’ Society, HKUSTSU, Session 2020-2021. You guys have done such an astounding job and impacted our freshmen’s lives in so many positive ways. And I’m sending my best wishes to the upcoming office of Session 2021-2022, and good luck with a new year!”

- Jasper Koo

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MEMBERS’ WORDS TOSAN TO

“FSS creates one of the most comfortable and harmonic environ-

ments, and it is where I met my first batch of friends in my university life. Surprisingly, they have always been the people who are standing by my side throughout these years.

I could never strike this perfect balance in academics and leisure entertainments if I haven’t had joined the Finance Society, met these life-long friends, and received spiritual and physical support in my studies. This is also how I overcame all of my hardest times in my university life. No-one else could wipe out the memories we have been through!”

CHESTON YU

“Life in this very year has been difficult and is too difficult that we

started to drift and derail from our normal tracks. Public health threats, prohibited gatherings and a down falling economy have blown holes on too many of us. We lost something we value and that is, unequivocally, sad.

University life has not been the best for me and I know perfectly there is no other one to be blamed yet our own selves who were reluctant to change our optics. But I am truly thankful for my ever so strong support, it is FINA which provided me with a light of hope and with a course to fight, fall and stand up. Whenever I recount the experience I had with FINA, I feel warmth and care that is almost tangible.

My mentor and mentorship program helped steer my journey and rethink my pursuits.

Doing things that sound about right is the only key to success, we echoed whilst the investment talks bettered my logical sense and taught us to remain calm even in the worst of times.

I believe it is FINA that has got my back and most importantly our backs, every one of you. Thank you FINA and thank you Excos.”

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MEMBERS’ WORDS BIBO CHUI

“FINA is never just a society enriching students’ financial knowl-

edge or professional profile, but a family kindling heartwarming memories and precious friendships.

FINA28 has sustained this legacy despite the challenging external environment. The pandemic has no wonder posed great threats to the operation of the Society. In this difficult year where orientation camp was banned, promotional period was suspended and re-union was restricted, the finance students’ society still fought their utmost effort to shape the best experience possible for us. The detail-mindedness and the passion of the Executive Committee members were what made the “O-cam” a success.

While some were questioning the feasibility of a virtual orientation day, the committee members cleared the mist with a well-planned agenda consisted of a variety of mini games.

Being the first FINA committee in history to break the ice virtually, they resolved every foreseeable and unforeseeable problem in an agile manner yet managed to build up the momentum of the group.

It wasn’t all about resilience; it was the ownership they held towards the society that pushed them to walk an extra mile to ensure greatness instead of goodness. Both quantity and engagement level of the membership are the best testament to this year’s accomplishment.

The essence of The Finance Students’ Society never lies in the number of events held or the profile of guests invited, but its people. FINA is one of the very few students’ societies that engages with members from all years, which determines the unique value of this society.

It is a home to freshmen, a support system to seniors and a comfort zone to final year students. It is therefore an every-year challenge for the committee to maintain the distinctive culture for old members, in the meantime, reshaping the atmosphere to cater to newcomers’ needs; to retain the seniors’ active participation, on the other hand, adapting the newbies into the closely knitted community; to introduce new roles to members of different years, meanwhile, gatekeeping the proposition of this society to everyone so that everyone still finds value in this place. (continued)

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MEMBERS’ WORDS BIBO CHUI

(continued) This year, FINA has taken steps to treasure its valuable asset – people, which solidifies FINA’s special spot in each and every heart. Winning the hearts of a network of loyal supporters, FSS has as well contributed back to its members through a plethora of rewarding events. Ranging from the Mentorship Program to a series of career talks, the society strives to bring us value-adding opportunities regardless of their inexperience in organizing virtual events.

Apart from the fruitful events, the design of the publications and souvenirs have demonstrated professionalism and high standards of quality. It is easy to judge that the Society has made no seemingly significant breakthroughs this year since all the events had been carried out last year. However, in view of this year’s context, continuing what has been done in ways that no one has done before is already a remarkable achievement that sets the tone for the next generation to further develop the society under the new normal.

A Society’s success is never the result of one year’s devotion, but the sum of progresses accumulated year by year, in which every year’s committee begins from where their predecessor has arrived and continues to move the society forward. Thus, I would also like to take this opportunity to appreciate the committee members, not only in this year but also in last year.

The FINA family undoubtedly plays an indispensable role in my university life and I would always treasure these beautiful memories.”

TIMMY KUNG

“COVID and social distance are the keywords in 2020 and 2021.

However, it never stops my interaction with FINA friends. Virtual Orientation Days, Career Talks, and the Mentorship Program provided a good opportunity to meet new friends and explore the business world. The attitude and the mindset I gained from my mentor are the most valuable things I took in the program.

A friend in court is better than a penny in a purse. FINA provides a good platform for me to find many true friends. We grow together, we learn together. I am truly grateful to be a member of The Finance Students’ Society in this university journey with all of my FINA friends.”

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PAST CHAIRPERSONS’ WORDS

The past year has been a tough year for all of us. Under COVID, social gatherings could not

be held and most activities were limited to online format. I was initially a bit worried that the bonding between us, FINA members might go away and freshmen don’t feel welcomed by this family. However, thanks to the hard work of our Excos, that did not happen. I couldn’t be more grateful to see that despite all the challenges and obstacles, FINA is still FINA, and our home continues to grow. Always happy to come back once in a while, to meet all my beloved friends here and appreciate the achievements of our younger members/Excos. All the best to everyone and see you soon. F-I-N-A FINA! - Jimmy Chu

2020 was different, very different. Almost everything was going south, university was nothing

like what it was before. Nonetheless, I’m proud to see FINA28 strived through the odds and pulled everything together brilliantly.

FINA is a stronghold of amazing friendships and growth. I hope your experience here is merry, meaningful, and memorable. Thank you FINA28 for continuing the legacy! F-I-N-A FINA!

- Sharon Lin

F-I-N-A FINA! Chanting this slogan always makes my heart race a little and reminisce my time

being an executive committee member. All the fond memories created with my cabinet members and meeting some of my closest friends in university makes this place somewhere I can always call home.

FINA to me is not just a society, but an identity that I am proud of that encapsulates all the most touching moments of my university life. This community may have different meaning to different people but there is one thing in common, we all love this place. I hope FINA can continue fostering meaningful relationships and the spirit can be passed on for many years to come.

Thank you FINA28 for pushing through the obstacles laid before them in 2020 and creating the best experience they could for our members, long live the blue legacy!

- Marcus Chan

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EXCOS’ WORDS Hayden Chan CHAIRPERSON

This year was one of the most sensational years for

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me without a doubt. Looking back to my freshman year when I was joining my first FINA Ocamp, never had I imagined taking up such a key role in the Society. The experience of being an Executive Committee has transformed me to a leader that takes care of both the cabinet and the curious freshmen whom I was once part of. As I take a stroll down memory lane, there were countless nostalgic moments emerging in my mind. For all the regrettable ones, most of them were undoubtedly rewarding and memorable.

Our journey has been full of doubts especially when tough decisions were being made. Functions like Inauguration Ceremony 2020 and Finance Festival 2020 were lamentably called off.

Throughout the year, We were seen as the first ever virtual cabinet that has hardly launched a face-to-face function. Frustration, struggles, and hardships have abounded on our path and even made us question ourselves for numerous times. Still, our cabinet members have always been supportive and were willing to dedicate their time to help each other out. Many well-functioned teams might be composed of elites and geniuses. It might not be the case for us but there are indeed full of enthusiastic individuals in our cabinet, each of whom is unique and complementary to one another, which makes our team operate well. I am so grateful to be part of the 28th Session and would like to express my appreciation again to my cabinet, Finavior.

I would also like to thank all the ‘jobamas’ and freshmen who have devoted their energy and time to participate in our events. Nothing would have happened without your support.

Last but not least, I would like to wish my successor, Evenson, and the 29th cabinet, FINAPRICITY, all the best in the year ahead.

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Chris Tang INTERNAL VICE-CHAIRPERSON

I was not expecting this at all. Looking back to my freshman year, I would consider myself as a completely different person. 2020 was definitely a tough year, with the pandemic situation, our orientation activities had experienced a big change from physical to virtual, which no one has ever tried before.

The practice of Zoom; engaging the freshmen in front of the web camera; we have been the pioneer to a new format of orientation. We have faced a lot of hard times but we learned and grew at the same time while we were facing them.

Looking at the freshmen in my group having fun and adapting to the life of HKUST, fitting in FSS or even taking up the responsibility to carry on this place have made me realise all our effort has paid off.

To me, FSS means passing on. Past members and excos are always willing to come back and help. I hope every freshman of this year can see FSS as a place, or even a home they belong.

Thank you for having us in your life.

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Tiffany Fung EXTERNAL VICE-CHAIRPERSON

It is simply impracticable to try compiling my thoughts on this journey into a short passage, but I will give it my all.

It’s safe to say that this year has been rough for everyone, for obvious reasons, and difficult decisions had to be made.

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The cancellation of our Inauguration Ceremony, the removal of the High-Table Dinner from our Mentorship Program were all direful. The all-nighters we pulled to polish up our events turned out to be an exercise in futility.

I have been reflecting on what our cabinet stands for. Our name, Finavior is inspired by Avior, one of the brightest stars visible. Its original symbolisation was to bring brilliance, warmth and guidance to our members. Looking back, besides bridging members, we served as an overpass from offline gatherings to online events, providing us with the technical foundation, experience and feedback where future planning could be built upon.

Avior is understudied compared to other stellations, an uncertainty comparable with what we have encountered this year. Yet, this does not put out its radiance, as it shines blue in night sky. As our cabinet sails against unpredictable currents, we invariably bear our members’ best interest in mind, and innovate to realise the greatest value-add under such circumstances. This could never have been made possible without the solace and talents of my cabinet members, and for that I am eternally grateful.

I think it’s important to be critical on myself and the team, but it is equally important to remind ourselves that we should not discredit our efforts. If I were to ask myself, could I have done better? Of course. But, if I were to ask if I am proud of what we’ve accomplished? Absolutely.

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Kelly Ng INTERNAL SECRETARY

Frankly speaking, the journey of being an Executive Member of the FSS was an uneasy ride for me. There were ample tears, struggles and doubts during the journey; which broke me so hard that I was ready to give up.

Instead of feeling regret, I am grateful that I made this decision a year ago. Thanks to this precious opportunity, I have grown up and learnt a lot. Managing stressful moments, handling unpredicted issues, gathering and gelling a group of people … All these unique experiences can be found during my journey of being an exco, and I am truly thankful for that.

Special thanks to my fellow cabinet members, Finavior. “The darkest nights produce the brightest stars”. This year has been uneasy for us. We have gone through many ups and downs, wins and losses, triumphs and tribulations. Starting from the Promotion Period to Orientation Day, then Mentorship Program, everything had to be organised by online means. Despite all these unexpected challenges of organising online events, I am glad that we still managed to strive hard and shine brightly in the darkest nights, just like Avior being one of the brightest stars in the Carina constellation. We might not be perfect, but I believe we have tried our very best to coordinate these events smoothly, given that we lack experiences in organising and participating in such an online mode. It’s been said that the people made a place, and I can genuinely say that it’s all you of who make FINA28 a warm place to stay. Thank you for supporting me during my troublesome days and helping me get through all the hurdles of stress and pressure. While our duty of being the 28th executive member of the FSS has come to an end, I hope our friendship will never end.

I would also like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to every one of you who have helped and guided me throughout this year. I wouldn’t have made it without all your support and care. I hereby wish the upcoming session the best of luck and a fruitful year ahead.

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Keith Tse EXTERNAL SECRETARY

At the very beginning, I had only wanted to become an exco so to hang out with people from other universities.

I enjoy making friends, mingling and listening to people’s stories. I had also wanted to broaden my horizons and learn from fellow mentors.

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However after this fruitful year, I have come to realize the biggest treasure is my fellow exco members being together. This bonding will forever be ours, and it is what it’s all about. Suddenly we have approached the end of the journey, but all endings are new beginnings.

All the sleepless nights and tough times suddenly seem to be worth it. My dear exco members, what a time to be alive with all of you, and what more do I need to say.

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Yumi Kwong EXTERNAL SECRETARY

Time flies, it has been a challenging, unpredictable, yet fruitful year for me.

Being in an unstable socio-political environment together with the unexpected pandemic, everything seems to be very difficult and different this year.

However, I feel so lucky to be one of the Executive Committee members of The Finance Students’ Society, which coloured and motivated my life. Although things were changing from minute to minute, plans were difficult to be implemented, the most exciting face-to-face events could not be held smoothly, and many pities had occurred this year.

I am glad that I could meet a group of passionate companions here to step through every uncertainty together. We tried our best to be flexible when facing challenges, changed our plan as soon as possible and improved ourselves to provide more fruitful events for other members.

‘Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations’ I have already gained the most precious things while passing through this path, and they are my cabinet members. Without you, we could not have made this far. Thank you so much to you all, for making me more thoughtful and mature.

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Thomas Lau FINANCIAL SECRETARY

‘Tough times never last, but tough people do.’

It has been a tough year. Due to the Covid-19, we cannot organize events normally, most of them were changed into online events. We had only organized the Orientation Days and the Mentorship Program this year.

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Luckily, our members and the past Executive Committee are still supporting the Society and our events. Thank you so much for that, nothing can become a success without your support.

Our cabinet faced a lot of struggles most of the time. However, I am so glad that I made that promise a year ago, choosing to become a part of Finavior. Being a Financial Secretary allows me to participate in organizing almost all events. I was not a person who liked to work with others at first, but through getting along with everyone from Finavior, my cabinet members’ support turns me into a part of this big family. Being tough in this hard time is not easy, but with all your support, it becomes possible.

Last but not least, may I wish the Elected Cabinet, FINAPRICITY, a fruitful and wonderful year. Enjoy your journey! It is all about give and take, your effort will pay off!

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Lorraine Lau MARKETING SECRETARY

It’s undoubtedly a memorable experience to be part of the Executive Committee in such times of hardship this year.

Despite the dull social atmosphere since my freshman year, FINA gave me sparks in my university life I have longed for.

I want to genuinely thank my executive committee members for working so hard together to make events happen smoothly. Although we have run into days of despair, days being lost, or even conflicts, we all tried our best to work things out so that we can create memorable moments together. From AGMs to event-organizing, I am always impressed by everyone’s commitment and devotion towards this place. Not only workwise, but on the heart level, we are always willing to support and help out one another when being exhausted and frustrated. Being here is indeed one of the most memorable encounters in university.

Although a lot of curveballs have hit our way, I have learnt a lot from the experience this year.

I wish that FINA will continue to sail strong even when waves are coming, and this has been a great journey for all of us :)

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Selwyn Yuen MARKETING SECRETARY & PROMOTION SECRETARY

This year has been a fruitful year for me.

Before being an Executive Committee, I have no experience in holding events with a group of people or designing a variety of products. After becoming an Executive Committee, I have changed a lot in terms of insights and cooperation with others.

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Being a Marketing Secretary and Promotion Secretary of The Finance Students’ Society, I am glad to take up two positions simultaneously to acquire relevant skills in different areas. For marketing, I have been responsible for promoting an array of events to individuals and businesses ranging from internal and external activities with my partners. We have strived for the best sponsorship for our Society members and maintain good relationships with the sponsors. For promotion, I have been accountable for designing posters of our Society’s events and Society products for the members. My partners and I have learned to utilize those designing software to create the best products for our members. It is meaningful to obtain valuable knowledge for myself and give back to our Society members.

This year must undoubtedly be a tough year for all of us. The experiences that I had gained from being an Executive Committee for the Society had taught me that there is never a bible for everything. It is essential to think from different perspectives and to take reference from a plethora of good case practices to stay agile to cope with varying dynamics. Most importantly, I am thankful to have other Executive Committee members supporting me and facing the challenging 2020 with me. Being an Executive Committee of The Finance Students’ Society has doubtlessly added a splash of color to my university life.

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Vanessa Leung MARKETING SECRETARY

When I decided to apply for the Orientation Camp of The Finance Students’ Society, I never thought that I would be part of FSS. If it was not the memorable camp, if it was not the warm group bamas and excos, I would not have decided to be one of the Executive Committee members and I had never regretted making such a decision.

2020 has been an unprecedented and challenging year for all of us. We kicked off with ambition, but COVID-19 has hit us hard. As the Marketing Secretary, the lukewarm attitude of sponsors has brought us frustration since the Promotion Period. When we were informed that we could only promote our cabinet through online means, we totally lost our directions.

At that time, one of the past Marketing Secretaries had tried to help by telling me that marketing is not only about sponsors. Since then, I realized that my duties were not just limited to contacting external parties, but also promoting the Society as well as building a professional image in which I strived to achieve throughout the year.

Looking back, I could not imagine going through all the hardship without the support of my Executive Committee members. I truly appreciate them for their perseverance and hard work. Despite the different working styles and personalities we have, we backed each other up and bonded together. Countless times, they have stood by my side when I was going through a rough patch. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for the guidance and encouragement they have provided me which has pushed me to do better.

Although the unexpected changes have posed great challenges to our work, I never regret embarking on such a journey filled with challenges, friendship, joy, memories… I believe FSS will continue to bloom and create unforgettable experiences for its members.

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Annis Leung PUBLIC-RELATIONS SECRETARY

Blue is the only colour which maintains its own character in all its tones—it always stays blue. Now, though sure as God made little green apples the Raoul Dufy quote had little or no sway on the pick of blue as our official colour, FINA did live up to the serene colour’s essence—staying true to its character all along.

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Our Society has always scaled the heights in uplifting the legacy of standards. Past cabinets took pride in their well-crafted work, and this year was no exception. It has been tough times.

For all of us. Truth be told, 2020-2021 was a godforsaken year of office. Protests, COVID-19, class suspensions, empty-headed orders from university officials, social distancing regulations...you name it, we’ve got it. It seemed almost extravagant under the new norm, when all we asked for has merely been to launch a modest in-person event. I had been sulking hard, my oh-so superb fantasies for “shgjorng” long gone.

Things took an unexpected turn in August, when we pioneered virtual orientation programs.

Seeing the bright smiles we brought to the freshmen’s faces, the genuine fulfilment that swelled in my heart was well worth all the criticism and sacrifices. From then on, we went fullon virtual mode, and took things up a notch in the following Mentorship Program. ‘Adapt, Improvise, Overcome’ basically sums up our year of office. Knowing our members actually took delight in joining us this year, I’d say our cabinet is, to say the least, proud of what we have presented. It may not be the best work one could imagine, but it is indeed some honest and fine work. Looking back from now, joining FINA28 was a reckless yet rewarding decision.

We had been sailors all through the rough journey, hanging on to each other so tightly in the storm. And when the commotion dies down and the waves are still, our unity lives on. Long story short, I am beyond blessed to have you guys by my side. The bondings we have now are certainly the best takeaways I could ever get from FINA, and I wish you guys the best of luck.

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Rachel Cheng PROMOTION SECRETARY

2020 has been one of the most challenging years I’ve had to go through, but I’m glad I didn’t have to face everything alone. A year back, with everything being moved online, it was hard to face my upcoming responsibilities as an exco with positivity.

But amidst all times of crisis, I find that there are always opportunities or moments to keep learning and hoping. Looking back, these moments existed to help us stay afloat even in times of difficulty. While I do wonder sometimes how different things would be if everything were back to normal, I’m still grateful for all the ups and downs I’ve had to face along with my fellow excos.

As our session comes to an end, I’d have to say that the greatest lesson I’ve learned so far would be being able to appreciate what I have now, and that includes new-found friendships as well as a chance in stepping out of my comfort zone. With the pandemic going on, it’s a shame that we weren’t able to offer our members the complete university-life experience in ‘FINA’ this year, but I truly hope that despite all the struggles and problems this year, everyone may eventually find their comfort within the chaos. It’s been a pleasure serving our members this year, and I sincerely express my gratitude to my fellow excos and members for supporting FINA this year until the end.

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Leo Li PROMOTION SECRETARY & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECRETARY

Without a doubt, 2020 has been one of the most challenging years of our lifetime. From Promotion Period to Mentorship Program, unprecedently, everything went virtual this year. Throughout the whole year, we have worked together and have been able to overcome the uncertainties and adjust to the unstable environment in the past year.

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I am extremely grateful to be able to work with people with different personalities, skills, and talents. It was such a great journey to learn and to grow with my cabinet members.

Taking up the responsibility as an Executive Committee was definitely one of the most rewarding involvements that I have made during my time in university. It was such a great honor to contribute and to be part of The Finance Students’ Society. It has been a challenging yet unforgettable year. I would like to express my utmost gratitude to my cabinet members and thanks for being part of my life. And now, it finally comes to an end of this amazing journey. I sincerely wish the upcoming session ever success and a remarkable year ahead.

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Samuel Ruan WELFARE SECRETARY & ACADEMIC SECRETARY

Time flies but memories remain. It has been more than a year when I decided to serve as an Executive Committee of The Finance Students’ Society.

Being an exco is definitely more than a change in identity, it also represents more power as well as more responsibilities.

It is fresh and exciting for me to take up a leadership position in the university, a whole new environment me, and to organize different types of student activities. In this year, we face many up and downs, joy and sadness, expected and unexpected, but we have all overcome.

For the year-long “shg jorng” journey, I would like to sincerely thank those who have helped me, taught me and encouraged me. Being an exco is never an easy task, but thankfully I got my fellow “jorng yuens”, they accompanied me the whole year, through both challenging and delightful times.

Although we are not perfect throughout this year and we did fail to achieve many things we had planned to implement, I believe these failures had given me a precious opportunity to learn, to grow and to become a better me.

Finally, I would like to thank all my cabinet members again. May I wish FINAPRICITY all the best in the coming year. I hope you all have an unforgettable and fruitful year.

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Tracy Tong PUBLICATION SECRETARY

This is the first and probably the last time I publish on my behalf but not on behalf of the Society. I would like to take this opportunity to express my utmost gratitude to everyone who has supported FINA28 throughout our ‘shg jorng’ journey.

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‘This is really gonna sound like a convenient excuse but COVID-19 is indeed constantly making things impossible for us.’ I couldn’t count how many times I have heard my fellow cabinet members say that with deep frustration and powerlessness whenever they tried to explain our situation to their friends, jojainuis, members, even when we were just casually sharing thoughts with one another. We all hoped our efforts and all the planning and preparation could mean something. The success of a students’ society has always been about the scale of the membership base, number and scale of the activities organised and the bonding and relationship of its people. It’s always easier to judge and evaluate the Executive Committee’s performance based on these criteria. It might look like there weren’t any major breakthrough recognised, or maybe even worse since most, if not all, were conducted virtually. Dear my beloved cabinet members, we are the first cabinet of FSS that tried to make things work online and demonstrated how things could be done differently. Even though the results may not be comparable to the previous years, I know you have fought harder than anyone could ever imagine so please don’t ever discredit or doubt yourselves. To me, you are all a true inspiration and deserve to be recognized. I am beyond grateful to have you all through thick and thin.

Cheers to the members who have stood by our side despite all the uncertainties and inconvenience this year. I am sure you felt the frustration as much as we did, but you still chose to believe in us and showed us how invested you were in our work. Words simply can’t express how thankful I am to you for being our driving force this whole time. I hereby wish the 29th Cabinet, FINAPRICITY, a fruitful and rewarding year. Learning from the past experience could be the key to success but it’s equally important to believe in what you are doing and know that you have tried your best. Be brave and take risks. Leave no regrets. Once you did that and look back on things later on with a clear consciousness, nothing else would matter and nothing can take that sense of achievement and satisfaction away from you.

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Jermy Siu SPORTS AND RECREATIONAL SECRETARY

The time of being an Executive Committee of The Finance Students’ Society has come to an end. I am glad that I have joined FINA O’Camp in my freshman year and met a lot of great people here. And most importantly, I have gained a lot of experiences and made breakthroughs during this memorable year.

This year was a challenging year for us as there were many things out of our control. We have encountered many difficulties such as postponement of our schedules and the uncertainty of the events. It was quite depressing that we couldn’t carry out activities that we have planned.

But these uncertainties trained us the ability to adapt to the situation quickly and make appropriate decisions accordingly.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to those who I have worked with this year, including my cabinet members, active members in my group and sportsmen. Without the support from all of you, events would not have been that successful and I wouldn’t be able to create memories in this place. Thank you and I wish the next cabinet, FINAPRICITY, a joyful and fruitful year to create more precious memories here.

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Sophia Chen SPORTS AND RECREATIONAL SECRETARY

In the blink of an eye, the journey of being an Executive Committee member of The Finance Students’ Society has almost come to an end.

This year has never been easy for everyone with lots of obstacles and changes.

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It was a pity that most of our events couldn’t be held physically, but the memories made and experiences gained would definitely be unique and unforgettable.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude and thank all who have helped and supported me throughout the year - past excos, jobajomas, family and friends.

And of course, FINA28 - my fellow cabinet members. It was a great pleasure to have you all here, to serve the Society together, and to learn and grow at the same time. Despite our term of service coming to an end, I believe our friendships will last long for our lifetime, and we can support and rely on one another as family. I would also like to thank all our FINA sportsmen.

Without your support and contribution, our events would not be successful with great results in matches. I am very proud of everyone in making FINA Sports Teams greater and stronger.

Last but not least, I would like to thank all once again for supporting us throughout the whole journey. I could not be more grateful for being able to be part of this big, warm family. This arduous yet extraordinary experience will definitely be one of the highlights in my life. Here, I wish my successor, and the next cabinet, FINAPRICITY, all the best in the coming year. Trust in yourselves and leave no regrets!

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Wilfred Wong SPORTS AND RECREATIONAL SECRETARY

It has been a challenging year for all of us, we are having the first ever full online session for our year of office. The events that we had planned ahead for the year were all either cancelled or forcefully carried on to virtual platforms for it to take place.

Nonetheless, even with all these unexpected situations, we still strived very hard. We gave an all-out effort to come up with as many intriguing activities as possible, all for the members of the FSS. Although there was certainly room for improvement, I am still very proud of what we have done throughout this chaotic year.

And for that, I would like to especially give credits to my cabinet members. We have worked so hard together to think of alternatives or back-up plans after the COVID outbreak and all the online-mode transitions. Meetings after meetings, we struggled to refine our events in order to deliver our members the best experiences they are ever going to encounter in FINA. Had it not been for my cabinet members, for whom I am so grateful, I might have stopped trying ages ago.

Last but not least, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to our fellow sportsmen. Even though there weren’t many friendly matches held, our sportsmen still actively participated in every match there was to be. And with that gratitude in heart, I would like to wish the next session a wonderful and fruitful year and I hope you all can create a unique touch of experience for the FSS members.

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Cheston Leung CURRENT BUSINESS AFFAIRS SECRETARY

‘Part of the journey is the end’.

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It is inevitable for each journey to come to an end, and what matters most is how we treasure every part of the memory. I can still recall struggling to be one of the Executive Committee member as I am not sure if I should commit that much time for such duty, I was focusing on what I could get in the process but not what I could give. Yet it took me long to realise the most valuable takeaway is the relationship that I built with other Executive Committee members, instead of other so called “useful” skills and knowledge.

This has been a special year for all of us due to the pandemic situation, as we can barely organise events for members to participate physically, everything seems so vague and directionless to all of us. Under such new normal, we had much less interaction and sometimes the bonding between each Executive Committee member were weakened, quarrels and misunderstandings thus appeared among us, yet we still managed to understand and support each other to get through the obstacles together.

By the end of this fruitful journey I finally understand what it means by sometimes you can’t take what you want if you don’t give what you have first. Learning how to sacrifice without asking for return has made me a more mature person throughout the year. Thank you everyone that has taken part in this journey and I am truly grateful to have you all by my side.

Hereby I wish the next cabinet can continue to shine and grow for the Society and make it a unique experience throughout your university life.

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CONCLUSION This marks the end of The Finance Students’ Society, HKUSTSU, Session 2020-2021. We all know 2020 was a year like no other. But while we were trying to strive through the odds, there were silver linings. Out of online events comes ideas and creativity; out of limited gatherings comes deeper spiritual connection; out of tears and frustration comes unanticipated support and fond memories.

As the termination of our year of office is approaching, we would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our fellow members, past Executive Committee and the Department of Finance for your generous support in the year full of challenges.

May the legacy of FINA be continued, and we wish FINAPRICITY the best of luck in the coming year.

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PASSING ON THE LEGACY OBJECTIVES

• To bring warmth, passion and care to our members • To provide our members with internship and career opportunities • To organize both recreational and dignified events, maintaining proximate bonding between our members, bringing back the lively elements of university life • To develop a sense of belonging to the Society • To act as a liaison between members and the external, strengthen the communication between the Society and the Department of Finance

TIMELINE APRIL 2021 - DEC 2021

Investment Series 2021

JUN 2021

The 29th Inauguration Ceremony

AUG 2021

Orientation Series 2021

OCT 2021 - NOV 2021

Mentorship Program 2021

NOV 2021

The Finance Festival 2021

WHOLE YEAR EVENT

Society Gatherings Intramural Sports Competitions Welfare Express 2021 Regular Publications

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INTRODUCTION FINAPRICITY, The Elected Cabinet of The Finance Students’ Society, HKUSTSU, Session 2021-2022 “Apricity” was originated from apricari in Latin, implying “warmth of the Sun’’ in winter, and is chosen to illustrate various aspects of The Elected Cabinet’s values. This is a symbolisation of non-discrimination, forgiveness and tolerance, which is one of our intentions to show that The Elected Cabinet is friendly and kind, welcoming students from all walks of life. Winter, being the coldest season of the year, is when the gentle warmth of the sun is needed to take the chill off. In “Finapricity”, we hope to bring warmth, passion and care to our fellow members starting from the bitter cold winter, the period when The Elected Cabinet is formed, so we can walk them through the extreme coldness and together revel in warmth. As The 29th Elected Cabinet, we ardently attempt to bring back the lively elements of University life while reintroducing our experience in the freshman year. It reflects that we are completely keen to devote ourselves to serving our members. As the Sun continues to scorch and glow, it resembles that the energy and cohesion in The Elected Cabinet will never fade as we will keep on illuminating.

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MEMBERS OF THE ELECTED CABINET

Elected Chairperson: LAM Lok Tin, Evenson (RMBI Year 1) Elected Internal Vice-Chairperson: TING Jip, Jagr (SBM Year 1) Elected External Vice-Chairperson: TAM Po Yu, Bonnie (RMBI Year 1) Elected Internal Secretary: TSANG Wing Lam, Wendy (FINA Year 1) Elected External Secretary: YU Kwan Lok, Johnny (SBM Year 1) Elected Financial Secretary: KWOK Long Hin Kin, Anakin (FINA Year 1) Elected Marketing Secretary: SIT Nga Yung, Tiffany (FINA Year 1) Elected Marketing Secretary: WONG Tak Hei, Henry (MARK Year 1) Elected Public-Relations Secretary: CHAN Po Yu, Bowie (SBM Year 1) Elected Promotion Secretary: HO Oi Yan, Angel (OM Year 1) Elected Promotion Secretary: LEE Tsz Ki, Kiki (SBM Year 1) Elected Welfare Secretary: LAM Tsun Hei, Justin (SBM Year 1) Elected Academic Secretary: CHU Tsz Wai, Tim (ECOF Year 1) Elected Publication Secretary: CHU Tsz Wai, Tim (ECOF Year 1) Elected Sports and Recreational Secretary: CHEN Yat Fu, Ricco (SBM Year 1) Elected Current Business Affairs Secretary: NIE Tammy (FINA Year 1)

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THE FINANCE STUDENTS’ SOCIETY, HKUSTSU, SESSION 2020-2021