Press Release

The University Grants Committee (UGC) announced the result of 2020 UGC Teaching Award today (28 Sept). Mr. David S. Lee, Principal Lecturer of HKU Business School, has been awarded the UGC Teaching Award for the Early Career Faculty Members category.

The annual UGC Teaching Award is a top teaching honour to those who excel in teaching among public universities in Hong Kong. Mr. Lee is the first faculty member from a business discipline in Hong Kong to have received this award. The awardee of the “Early Career Faculty Members” category is required to demonstrate, in less than six years of teaching experience, superior classroom acumen, up-to-date knowledge of the field of study and excellent scholarly achievements and leadership in teaching across universities.

Mr. Lee mentioned, “I am honoured and humbled to have received this teaching award and would like to extend my deep appreciation to the UGC, for all of their support in the development of universities in Hong Kong. I also want to express thanks to my colleagues for their continued support, including our Dean Professor Hongbin Cai, Professors Guochang Zhang and Larry Qiu, Dr. Olivia Leung, Mr. David Bishop, and Mr. Beau Lefler. Prior to joining HKU Business School, I have worked across consulting, law, entrepreneurial ventures and in finance, but none of those roles were as meaningful as teaching is. The opportunity to engage and work with wonderful young people and help on their respective learning and life journeys is an honour and privilege for me.”

Professor Hongbin Cai, Dean of HKU Business School, remarked, “David is very talented in teaching and well-deserve the honour. His courses are innovative, creative and wide-ranging, and are welcomed by students. HKU Business School is always proud to have young and intelligent teachers, like David, with us and has always been committed to enhancing the quality of teaching and learning. We are dedicated to recruiting more outstanding scholars, investing resources to improve facilities, promoting local education while nurturing elite business talents.”

This is the seventh teaching excellence and innovation award received by Mr. Lee during his five years at HKU. He teaches mainly in the areas of ethics, fintech, law, and corporate governance for undergraduate and master programmes in HKU. Mr. Lee demonstrates a high flexibility in teaching at the University. In order to teach effectively during these extraordinary times, Lee applied technology to practical teaching. He co-designed and co-taught a massive online open course, Fintech Ethics and Risks. The course was the first of its kind in the world, and has been recognised with its innovative curriculum design, high rate of student interaction, and unique technical elements. Over eleven thousand students globally have enrolled in the course to date, which is a positive affirmation of Mr. Lee’s achievement in teaching.