Introduction

2008 was truly an unforgettable year with all of us experiencing a lot of ups and downs. We were first shocked by the 5.12 Sichuan Earthquake with tens of thousands of casualties. We then have the resounding success of the 2008 Beijing Olympics which took the breath away of hundred millions of audience in front of the television. While we were still celebrating the remarkable performance of our national athletes, we faced the tidal waves of the financial tsunami with the slackening global economy, the roller-coaster stock markets and currency fluctuations.

Against these changes in the international business environment, the competitiveness of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) professionals in Hong Kong depends upon how swiftly and effectively we can upgrade our professional know-how. The Hong Kong Computer Society (HKCS) is committed to serving the industry to meet these challenges and capitalise on every new opportunity. It is no doubt that the year that lies ahead of us is one of unparalleled challenges and opportunities. With all the significant initiatives that HKCS has started and making progress on, a valuable prize awaits us if we are able to rise to the challenges that those opportunities will bring. The key to attaining that prize can be summed up in these few words: Professionalism, Industry Development and Community.
Professionalism

The most valuable asset of HKCS is our members. It is therefore of paramount importance that we have a very rigorous Certified Professional of IT (CPIT) scheme that could give our members the assurance of a promising and rewarding career in the ICT industry especially under the global economic downturn. Our objective is to raise the professional capabilities of our members by providing them with opportunities to equip themselves in fostering the development and competitiveness of the ICT industry in Hong Kong.

To sustain the growth of continuous professional development, a non-profit organisation, the Hong Kong Institute for IT Professional Certification (HKITPC) was established in May 2007 to manage and implement the certification scheme. Ever since then, the HKITPC has conferred a good number of CPIT (Project Director), CPIT (Systems Architect), and CPIT (Quality Assurance Manager). To further the interests of IT professional certification, the Hong Kong Government through the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) has further sponsored the HKCS, the major constituent of HKITPC, for a new development project aiming at expanding the scope of the CPIT scheme. New credentials in the specialisations of CPIT (Associate Project Manager), CPIT (Information Security Officer) and CPIT (Business Analyst) will be launched in 2009. Many seasoned ICT professionals have been invited to participate in these new initiatives and it was envisaged that the expanded coverage of the scheme would enrich and extend the roadmap for the industry's professional development. The HKITPC endorses courses offered by professional training/continuing education course providers to help examinees prepare for the exams. The first batch of these endorsed CPIT courses will be offered by the PEAK of Vocational Training Council, the Productivity Training Institute of the Hong Kong Productivity Council and the School of Continuing and Professional Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The CPIT scheme has been widely supported by the business and ICT sectors and over 20 major business and ICT firms have endorsed the CPIT scheme. It was expected that with the implementation of the new CPIT titles, not only could ICT professionals recognise and upkeep their professional standings regarding the new competencies, but it could also sharpen their skills to overcome the global financial crisis.

To further raise the level of ICT professional qualification and professionalism in Hong Kong, the OGCIO provided funding to HKCS in March 2009 to devise a comprehensive Roadmap for IT Professional Certification in Hong Kong. With the help of HKITPC, HKCS looks forward to working closely with ICT professional bodies, industry and academia to enhance the ICT human capital in Hong Kong, and to raise the quality and status of Hong Kong's ICT professionals.

Riding on the remarkable development of CPIT scheme, the HKCS also saw the importance of recognising the achievements and contributions of IT professionals by launching the HKCS Outstanding IT Achiever Awards 2008 (OITAA). The award was the first of its kind in Hong Kong history to specifically showcase the impact that individual ICT professionals have made to the local ICT industry and the community as a whole. Recognising the excellence of Hong Kong ICT professionals in handling local and international ICT projects, this landmark award established a new professional benchmark in the Hong Kong ICT market. It also offered a new professional indicator for the ICT recruitment market in Hong Kong and reinforced Hong Kong's critical role as an international ICT city in Asia. As an all-round award, it covered four major areas and recognised four different professional ICT categories, namely the IT Leadership Award, IT Professional Competency Award, IT Project Management Award and IT Research Award.

Not to mention the current financial turmoil, the HKCS saw a strong need to accentuate, recognise and honour the value and contribution of local ICT practitioners. It was because new digital opportunities had created a great demand to cultivate a new generation of ICT talent that was able to break through traditional ideas, "think beyond the box" and go the extra mile. It was essential to encourage ICT professionals to develop an ICT career for the future development of the local ICT industry and to strengthen the base of home-grown ICT talent and encourage them to overcome new challenge, capitalise on new opportunities and facilitate innovations in the new digital era. The HKCS Outstanding ICT Achievers Awards 2008 has provided incentive to encourage the recognition and strengthen the growth of the knowledge-based economy.
 
Industry Development

With our extensive industry network, HKCS has been playing an active role in matching ICT industry needs with key stakeholders such as ICT vendors/users and the government to promote innovation, strengthen capabilities and enhance services. Various events were held in 2008 to provide our members with opportunities to explore more business potential and exchange their skills and ideas of their professional knowledge and expertise in ICT within the region and around the globe. The events could bring values to our members and help them expand their networks individually and in turn benefit the industry as a whole.

Especially worth mentioning was the Hong Kong International Computer Conference (HKICC) 2008 which gained significant importance in the topics and speakers as well as success in terms of the highest registration rate for the number of attendees in the past five years. The theme this year was "Innovation - Creating Hong Kong's Digital Future." Industry experts and leaders from the government, academia and other major industry sectors shared their views on the development of ICT industry in Hong Kong during the two-day conference which helped guide future developments for the ICT industry.

Having accumulated immense experience in organising the IT Excellence Awards, the HKCS was honoured to be selected by the government as the leading organiser for the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2008: Best Business Award. We were proud to have played a part in this meaningful programme, a symbol of the rising standards and competitiveness of the industry.

The outstanding performance of the ICT industry in Hong Kong is not only confined to the local stage, but it also outshines in the international arena. The winning of one Grand Award and three Merit Awards in the Asia Pacific ICT Awards (APICTA) held in Indonesia this year had proved that our local ICT professionals excelled themselves and kept taking the pivotal role among regional ICT industries. Their unrivalled ICT knowledge and extensive expertise in the industry had contributed a lot to our remarkable success.

With the theme of "Regional Collaboration with Unlimited Potential", the 13th Joint International Computer Conference (JICC 2008) which was co-organised by the HKCS and the Guangzhou Municipality, provided ICT professionals from both regions and overseas a platform to share their insights on a great variety of topics, such as outsourcing experiences, best practice in software outsourcing, and business opportunities in ICT outsourcing. JICC 2008 was indeed a good opportunity to strengthen a close relationship with our counterpart in Mainland China and above all to promote Hong Kong's ICT expertise to officials and business people around the globe.

The HKCS always takes the initiative to act as a bridge to enhance the communication between the HKSAR Government and the ICT professionals. Most of the activities organised aimed at addressing the current issues and to mention but a few, the 8.14 Forum for Legislative Council Election IT Functional Constituency was held to provide the ICT professionals with an opportunity to understand the political platforms of the election candidates. The HKCS Forum on 2009-2010 Budget was organised for ICT experts and participants to express their concerns to government policies. A survey on "Current State of Hong Kong IT Industry in Midst of Global Economy" was also conducted in late December 2008 to collect opinions of ICT professionals about the employment status, the prospect of the ICT industry and the government's role in the development of the industry. We believe that with the open dialogues such as these, we could express our concerns to the government policy for the benefit of the ICT industry.

 
Community

We have a common interest in Hong Kong's success and prosperity. If our city does well, all of us benefit. If it does poorly, all of us suffer. That is why we must work together to serve the community, no matter during good times or bad times. Being the leading ICT professional organisation in Hong Kong, the HKCS has been doing the utmost to serve the community.

In response to the Sichuan Earthquake which rocked the region in May 2008, an earthquake donation was organised and an amount of more than HK$100,000 was raised for the victims in needed. Apart from the financial support, we also embarked on the first Hong Kong ICT delegation to Sichuan after the earthquake and several ICT projects have been committed to help victims survive the disaster and recover from the trauma. For example, the 5.12 Face Recognition Action had helped victims find their missing relatives and it showed to be very successful. It is no doubt that the visit had deepened our understanding of the current situation in Sichuan and it also gave HKCS an opportunity to show our support to the ICT industry in Mainland China.

Not only did we serve our community by helping the needy, we also devoted ourselves to nurturing the younger generation through such fun-filling events as the Shanghai - Qingdao - Hong Kong Youth IT Summer Camp 2008 which was held in July 2008 to provide a precious opportunity for the youth from both Mainland China and Hong Kong to enrich their knowledge in utilising ICT and widen their horizon when sharing and exchanging ideas. Moreover, the Robocon 2008 Hong Kong Contest enabled young people in Hong Kong exchange their ideas and knowledge in engineering and ICT with one another. The event was a great opportunity to arouse public interest and awareness of ICT, particularly among high school and university students. It is hoped that with the involvement of these two activities, students can develop interests in paving their career paths in ICT.

The HKCS is also highly aware that mentorship programme can help reinforce the attitude of students in taking ICT as a study discipline and a lifelong career. As such, we strived towards establishing the "HKCS/City University Mentorship Programme" in September 2008 and had invited members of the Chief Information Officer Board and senior managers of large IT corporations to join this programme as mentors. A series of activities such as Barbeque Gathering, Internship Sharing Session were organised to strengthen the mentor-mentee relationship.

 

 
Future Perspective

Looking ahead, we face the very immediate challenge of the global financial crisis, and the inevitable impact it will have on our ICT industry. We must play on our strengths and apply all of our resourcefulness and experiences to respond to the situation. Being the leading ICT professional organisation in Hong Kong with almost 7,000 members, I believe that HKCS could continue to grow through the expanding of Membership Campaign, Mentorship Programme, Young Professional Division, Youth Club and the Special Interest Divisions.

We must continue to promote and enhance Hong Kong as a regional hub for technological cooperation and trade. With that in mind, I am sure that we can focus on the development of CPIT certification scheme in which we can help build up a knowledge-based economy with a healthy supply of ICT talents with good qualifications and profound knowledge in ICT technology. The HKCS is also currently working on the cross-certification and mutual recognition programme between Mainland China and Hong Kong with the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry. By setting a professional standard with high credibility and objectivity, we ultimately aim to achieve universal and international recognition.

At the same time, we must build closer bonds with the neighbouring regions in the Pearl River Delta. By joining the "Alliance to Promote Technological Cooperation between Mainland China and Hong Kong" first roundtable discussion in early December 2008 and regular forums in the future, we could explore the issue thoroughly with legislative councillors and representatives of the HKSAR Government. The feedback collected from the discussions is hoped to assist in the development of Lok Ma Chau Loop. In April 2009, a Hong Kong delegation of ICT professionals will be organised to pay a visit to Chengdu, one of the most important economic centres and transportation and communication hubs in Southwestern China. The delegation will attend the Chinasoft Conference 2009 in which they can share the knowledge and experience.

A difficult and uncertain time lies ahead as the financial tsunami has had worldwide repercussions on the job markets. The HKCS promises to maintain its key role in strengthening the capability of ICT professionals and helping the industry survive during the hardship by establishing the ICT Human Resources Consortium and the ICT Marketplace Consortium with other ICT organisations under the facilitation of the HKSAR Government. The establishment of the Consortia aims at working out solutions to relieve the unemployment problem, bridging the digital divide in the industry and at the same time helping enterprises and ICT professionals seek support in order to gain competitiveness during the financial crisis. With funding backing from OGCIO and support from the Consortia, HKCS will be leading the implementation of the ICT Employment Centre to construct a one-stop portal to help protect and create IT jobs during this trying time.

The success of the HKCS should be attributed to the concerted effort of all our members. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to them. I also wish to express my gratitude to our dedicated Council Members and the HKCS Secretariat for their devotion and hard work. The coming year could be an even more challenging one but it is no doubt that we will work hand in hand to surmount all difficulties and keep striving for excellence. On behalf of the HKCS, I look forward to attaining your continued support in the years to come.