Laura Cha

Laura Cha Shih May-lung, GBM, GBS, JP[1] (Chinese: 查史美倫; born 5 December 1949[2]) is a Hong Kong businesswoman and politician. She is a non-official member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, Chairperson of Preparatory Task Force on the Financial Services Development Council, and Non-Executive Deputy Chairman of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.

The Honourable

Laura Cha

GBM GBS JP
查史美倫
Non-official Member of the
Executive Council of Hong Kong
Assumed office
19 October 2004
Chief ExecutiveTung Chee-hwa
Donald Tsang
Leung Chun-ying
Carrie Lam
HK Deputy to the NPC
In office
2008–2018
ChairmanWu Bangguo
Congress11th NPC
12th NPC
Personal details
Born
Shih May-lung

(1949-12-05) 5 December 1949
Shanghai, China
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison (BA)
Santa Clara University (JD)
Laura Cha Shih May-lung
Traditional Chinese查史美倫
Simplified Chinese查史美伦

Early life and education

On 5 December 1949, Cha was born in Shanghai, China. At age 2, Cha and her family moved to British Hong Kong.[3]

Cha earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a Juris Doctor degree from the Santa Clara University School of Law.[4] She was a member of the Committee of 100, a Chinese American political and cultural organisation.[2]

Career

In 1983, Cha was admitted to the State Bar of California as Laura May-Lung Cha.[4] Cha practised law with Pillsbury Madison and Sutro, one of the powerful lawfirm in San Francisco, California. Since 1994, Cha no longer practice law in California.[4]

After her return to Hong Kong, Cha continued practising law with Coudert Brothers. She worked at Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission from 1991 to early 2001, becoming its Deputy chairman in 1998.

Cha served as Hong Kong's delegate to the 11th National People's Congress, Vice-Chairman of the International Advisory Council of the CSRC, Chairman of the University Grants Committee in Hong Kong, and a member of the advisory board of the Millstein Center of Corporate Governance and Performance at Yale University.

Cha was Vice-Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) from 2001 to 2004. Cha was appointed to the post by the State Council of the People's Republic of China and became the first person outside mainland China to join the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China at the vice-ministerial rank. Cha renounced US citizenship to take up the position.[5]

In 2012, Cha was named an Honorary Fellow by the Hong Kong Securities and Investment Institute.

She has been a Non-Executive Director of Unilever since May 2013.[6]

2014 Hong Kong protests controversy

Cha was reported by The Standard to have likened the pro-Occupy activists demand for democracy in the 2014 Hong Kong protests to the emancipation of African-American slaves at a conference at Paris, asking why Universal Suffrage "could not wait" for Hong Kongers in light of the historical disenfranchisement of African Americans.[7][8] Her remarks were criticised on social media, with a petition to the board of directors of HSBC on Change.org stating that the signatories, "will not stand these remarks likening our rights to slavery, nor will we stand the kind of voter disenfranchisement her and her associates attempt to perpetrate on the Hong Kong public."[7][9]

In response, Cha stated that she had in no way made any comparison of the Hong Kong protests to the emancipation of African American slaves. In her interview she had simply made the point that in every country, the electoral system and voting mechanisms evolved over time. It had done so in France, in the UK, in the United States and elsewhere. She further explained that the National Peoples' Congress decision of 31 August 2014 was the beginning of Hong Kong's journey to full democracy, and that Hong Kong should accept the package now... and improve upon it over time. "

Personal life

Cha is married and has two children. Cha's husband Victor Cha Mou Zing is a prominent Hong Kong businessman.[3][10] Cha renounced her United States citizenship prior to taking a position with China.[3]

Awards and recognitions

On 12 May 2011, Cha was an honored by Committee of 100 for her philanthropic contributions to higher education at the 20th Awards Gala in New York, U.S.[11]

References
  1. "Executive Council of Hong Kong SAR". Government of Hong Kong. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  2. "Greater China regulation and policy expert joins HSBC board" (Press release). HSBC Holdings plc. 25 February 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  3. (1 May 2002)"China's Iron Lady". Institutional Investor. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  4. (3 June 1983)"The State Bar of California - Bar number 107938 (Laura May-Lung Cha)". Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  5. "查太放棄美國籍移居北京" [Mrs. Cha renounced U.S. citizenship and moved to Beijing]. Sing Tao Daily. 14 February 2001. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  6. "Laura Cha". Unilever. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  7. "Thousands denounce HSBC board member's likening of Hong Kong people to freed slaves". Reuters. 31 October 2014.
  8. "Don't be a slave to reform, says finance figure". The Standard. 30 October 2014.
  9. http://whbl.com/news/articles/2014/oct/31/thousands-denounce-hsbc-board-members-likening-of-hong-kong-people-to-freed-slaves/
  10. (11 October 2011)"Laura Cha - Executive councillor". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  11. (26 January 2011) "Laura Cha and Henry Paulson to be Honored by Committee of 100 for Contributions to Philanthropy and U.S.-China Relations". Committee of 100 (United States). Retrieved 26 June 2017.
Order of precedence
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Bernard Charnwut Chan
Non-official member of the Executive Council		 Hong Kong order of precedence
Non-official member of the Executive Council		 Succeeded by
Arthur Li
Secretary for Transport and Housing
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