The Directors' Symposium 2020 organised by HKIoD will be held on 27 October.  The Hong Kong Business Ethics Development Centre is glad to be invited by HKIoD again as a supporting organisation of this annual event.

The theme of the Directors' Symposium 2020 is “Vanguard in Challenging Times”. Company directors, decision-makers and senior officers of diverse enterprises are encouraged to participate.  Details are as follows:

Please visit the event website for registration and more details.  For enquiries, please call HKIoD at 2889-4988 or email to symposium@hkiod.com.

The Hong Kong Business Ethics Development Centre (HKBEDC) has been jointly organising thematic seminars with various professional bodies and trade organisations to promote good governance and professional ethics in the business sector.  Here are some of the seminars to be conducted in October: 

For enquiries, please contact the above co-organisers directly, or call the HKBEDC hotline at 2826-3288.

Due to the stepping up of international efforts in combating illegal activities including money laundering, terrorist financing and tax evasion in recent years, banks have to take enhanced control measures including a more stringent customer due diligence process to mitigate the potential risks for new customers.  As a result, the account opening process is more complex and requires longer time.

Although opening a bank account is essential to business operations, business operators must not offer advantages (including money or gifts) to bank staff for the latter's approving or expediting the account opening application, otherwise both the business operator and the bank staff may violate the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (POBO) enforced by the ICAC for offering or accepting a bribe respectively.  The maximum penalty is a fine of $500,000 and seven years' imprisonment.

Hong Kong Business Ethics Development Centre (HKBEDC), under Community Relations Department of the ICAC, strives to help banks and financial institutions guard against corruption and foster an ethical culture. Click here to visit HKBEDC website for more information about anti-bribery laws and HKBEDC's services.

If you suspect corruption, please call the ICAC 24-hour Report Hotline at (852) 25 266 366.

The highlights of this issue include:

• continuation of anti-corruption initiatives on various online platforms under the COVID-19 pandemic;
• the launch of the "Reading for Integrity" moral education programme to pass on positive values to the young generations;
• ICAC's former Director of Corruption Prevention taking on new international role;
• more global recognitions on Hong Kong's anti-corruption efforts; and
• ICAC Annual Report 2019.

Please click here for the 40^th issue of the ICAC Post.

The biennial Corporate Governance Conference (the Conference) hosted by Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries (HKICS) will be held online on 25 September 2020. The Hong Kong Business Ethics Development Centre continues to serve as a supporting organisation and encourages corporates, business executives and professionals to join the event.

The theme of this year’s Conference is “Building the Modern Board: A 20/20 Vision”.  Eligible participants who attend the Conference will be granted ECPD points.  Please click here for the programme details and registration.

Online registration is available now until 18 September.  For enquiries, please call HKICS at 2881-6177 or email to cpd@hkics.org.hk.

All insurance clients are looking for a professional, honest and trustworthy insurance intermediary to provide them suitable insurance advice and the best protection.  The "Integrity for Success" Ethics Promotion Website for the Insurance Industry developed by the Hong Kong Business Ethics Development Centre can help insurance intermediaries equip themselves and be their clients' Only One!

The website offers a wide range of ethics training resources and useful information for insurance practitioners.  Please visit https://hkbedc.icac.hk/insurance for more details.

Committed to the promotion of good corporate governance and business ethics, the Hong Kong Business Ethics Development Centre serves again as a supporting organisation for the "Directors of The Year Awards 2020" (the Awards) this year and encourages companies, boards and individual directors to participate and submit nomination for the Awards.

The Awards is an annual event organised by the Hong Kong Institute of Directors (HKIoD).  The theme of this year is "Vanguard in Challenging Times".  Interested parties are invited to submit their nomination form and supporting documents to HKIoD by 31 July 2020 (Friday) 5:00 pm.   

For enquiries, please contact Ms Odessa SO of HKIoD at 2889-9986 or email to dya@hkiod.com.

One of the key strengths of Hong Kong's testing and certification (T&C) sector is its high level of integrity and credibility, which gives confidence to users of T&C services.  To maintain the integrity standard in the industry, the Hong Kong Business Ethics Development Centre will jointly organise a webinar with the Hong Kong Council for Testing and Certification and the Hong Kong Accreditation Service on 30 July 2020 (Thursday).

The webinar will cover the anti-corruption laws in Hong Kong and the common corruption risks and ethical issues that may be encountered by T&C practitioners.  Details of the webinar are as follows:

For enquiries, please contact Ms Charmaine NG at 3605 9630 or email to hkctcwebinar_30july@mills.events.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to the global economy as well as people's livelihood.  While the virus has posed a significant challenge to Hong Kong, the ICAC has remained relentless during the pandemic in battling corruption.  The latest "ICAC Post" summarises the corruption situation of Hong Kong in the first half of 2020, and ICAC's efforts in law enforcement, prevention and education during the pandemic.  It also reports Hong Kong's latest international ranking in the "World Competitiveness Yearbook 2020" and the establishment of the Hong Kong national security law.

Please click here to view the ICAC Post.

The Hong Kong Business Ethics Development Centre (HKBEDC) has been jointly organising thematic seminars with various professional bodies and trade organisations to promote good governance and professional ethics in the business sector.  Here are some of the seminars to be conducted in July and August: 

For enquiries, please contact the above co-organisers directly, or call the HKBEDC hotline at 2826-3288.