School News

Delivering quality education to nurture future leaders is an integral part of the Faculty’s mission. Every year, the Faculty recognises teachers with outstanding achievements and significant contributions in teaching and student learning through the Faculty Teaching Award Scheme. The award-winners for the academic year 2024-25 are:

Professor Jingcun CAO
Assistant Professor

“I am honored to receive this teaching award. For me, teaching is not only about knowledge sharing, but also about igniting curiosity, inspiring bold thinking, and equipping students to turn ideas into meaningful impact. By connecting theory with real-world challenges and research with hands-on exploration, I aim to transform perspectives and build confidence of the students. In today’s fast-changing world, I strive to prepare students for the opportunities and challenges of the AI era — giving them the literacy, skills, and vision to harness technology responsibly and creatively. My goal is to inspire every student to see possibilities beyond the classroom and to grow into adaptable, thoughtful leaders of tomorrow. This recognition strengthens my commitment to keep innovating and empowering the next generation to succeed where human insight and technological advancement go hand in hand.”

Professor Ivy DANG
Assistant Professor

“Teaching has always been a central and deeply rewarding part of my journey as a scholar and educator. My teaching philosophy draws inspiration from the ancient Chinese wisdom, “teaching one to fish is better than giving him/her the fish” (授之以魚不如授之以漁). I seek to build meaningful bridges between theory and practice—encouraging students to apply classroom concepts to real-world challenges. Reflecting the vision of HKU Business School, I aim not only to teach fundamental marketing principles but also to Inspire, Empower, and prepare students to Lead and make a meaningful impact on business and society.”

Professor Jiaheng YU
Assistant Professor

“I am deeply honoured to receive the Faculty Outstanding Teacher Award (Undergraduate Teaching). I strived to create a student-centred learning environment in my course and pursued clarity in teaching. I learned how to teach well from my colleagues and the students. This award reflects their help and efforts. Let me also take this opportunity to thank Professor Alex CHAN, who mentored me as a junior professor. Inspired by him, I believe a good professor teaches with passion and love.”

Professor Xing HU
Associate Professor

“At the core of my teaching is something very simple: I genuinely love it, and I want to do it as well as I can. Teaching is not just a job but a meaningful life’s work—one that allows me to change how students think about the world, their careers, and themselves. Every cohort reminds me that education is never one-directional: while I support students in clarifying goals and building skills, their questions and struggles constantly push me to grow and refine each lesson. Knowing that our classroom can quietly influence many lives gives me both joy and a deep sense of responsibility.”

Professor Winnie LEUNG
Associate Professor of Teaching

“I am committed to cultivating a nurturing and dynamic learning environment that inspires students to realize their full potential. I emphasize active learning, critical thinking, and real-world applications to ensure the development of both foundational knowledge and higher-order skills. I enjoy fostering an interactive classroom that motivates students to explore contemporary issues, articulate their perspectives, and analyze problems from diverse viewpoints. This approach enables me to effectively support students in enhancing their confidence, adaptability, innovation, and critical thinking abilities. My passion is to inspire future leaders and contribute to their professional growth, development, and career success.”

Professor Zhepeng LI
Associate Professor

“Receiving this year’s Faculty Teaching Award is a much-appreciated affirmation of the values I hold as an educator. I believe exceptional teaching begins with passion, an enduring drive to ignite curiosity and inspire growth. To me, teaching is not just an academic duty but a profound opportunity to shape minds and open possibilities. The influence we cast as faculty members at HKU extends far beyond citations or publications, living on in the choices our students make and the impact they go on to create. This award reminds me of the privilege and responsibility of teaching, and I remain deeply grateful to my students and colleagues who have inspired this work.”

 
Professor Derrald STICE
Associate Professor

“I am truly honored to receive this prestigious award, and I recognize that this achievement would not have been possible without the guidance and collaboration of my outstanding colleagues, both within and beyond the accounting area. When teaching, I do my best to “steal” the qualities of teachers and educators who inspired me, aiming to keep students engaged, demonstrate the relevance of the material, and foster an environment of collaboration and teamwork. During my time at HKU, I have thoroughly enjoyed engaging with students both inside and outside the classroom, sharing my passion for learning and learning from them in return. I am eager to continue developing these meaningful relationships.”

Professor Dan YANG
Associate Professor

“I am deeply honored to receive the Faculty Outstanding Teacher Award (Postgraduate Teaching). Teaching is my passion, and I strive to foster critical thinking, promote engagement, and make complex concepts accessible through clarity, structure, and real-world cases. I integrate cutting-edge AI tools to equip students with future-ready skills while creating an inclusive environment that builds confidence, particularly for female students. This award reflects the shared dedication of my students, colleagues, and mentors, whose support continually inspires me. I remain committed to designing impactful learning experiences that empower the next generation of analytical leaders to drive meaningful change.”

Professor Heng CHEN
Associate Professor

“Teaching excellence means creating an environment where curiosity leads the way — where students are encouraged to question, connect, and challenge ideas with confidence. It is not merely about transferring knowledge but about inspiring discovery and cultivating independent, critical thinking.”

Professor Simon LAM
Professor

“I believe education is a transformative process. When I teach, I aim to change the way students learn and think. My goal is not only to provide them with essential course information but also to encourage critical thinking and engaging discussions that elevate their understanding. I often tell my students that they need to adopt a more analytical and critical approach when examining a business case or a company. Business education is not a spectator sport; students cannot simply sit back and remain passive. Active, intense discussions foster meaningful transformation in their thinking.”

Professor Jin LI
Zhang Yonghong Professor in Economics and Strategy

“I am deeply honoured to receive this award. My teaching philosophy centres on the conviction that academic rigor and practical relevance are mutually reinforcing, especially for Executive MBA students. I believe that theories, rooted in first principles and illuminated by concrete examples, have profound and wide-ranging applications. My goal is to equip students with these enduring frameworks to better navigate the complexities of life and of the business world.”

Professor Zhixi WAN
Professor

“I am deeply honored to receive this award. Over the past five years, teaching Business Analytics in the joint HKU-Fudan IMBA program has been a privilege. While many students initially view statistical concepts as daunting, witnessing their transformation as they ‘get their hands dirty’ with data is incredibly rewarding. My teaching philosophy centers on two pillars: Data and Reasoning. As I remind my class using Warren Buffett’s wisdom: you are neither right nor wrong because the crowd disagrees with you; you are right because your data and reasoning are right. Ultimately, I aim to empower students to embrace AI and rigorous analysis for smarter strategic decision-making.”

Professor Andy BACK
Assistant Professor

“I am honored to receive the Faculty Teaching Innovation Award. Teaching social science is challenging because our field must keep pace with a fast-changing society. This challenge has become even more apparent with the rise of AI. The inquiry-based AI TA Bot is my ongoing effort to understand how we can navigate these shifts with students. By working with the bot, students and I were able to have open and honest discussions about the role and value of AI in strategic decisions. This work is still developing, and there is much more to explore together with colleagues.”

Professor Alex CHAN
Associate Professor of Teaching

“Every student is a distinctive individual learner. I strive to recognize individual students and understand their individual learning progress and needs. With the support of A.I. tools, teachers can develop a variety of real-life case studies and discussion papers across a wide range of academic topics and depth levels to meet the diversity of needs and learning interests of students. This approach makes learning more practical and personalized, sparking curiosity and commitment. Through providing more real-life applications, tailored support and encouragement, we can effectively enhance students’ learning interests and commitment and to achieve better teaching and learning outcomes.”

Professor Xu LI
Associate Professor

“I am profoundly honored to receive the Faculty Teaching Innovation Award. Thanks for this recognition. As an instructor of accounting courses for the MBA program, my approach to teaching innovation is anchored in bridging academic theory and professional practice through organic integration of Classical Theories, Latest Real-World Practices, and Useful Tools, tailored to empower our diverse cohort of students from across industries. To ground theoretical learning in real-world context, I employ carefully curated, industry-diverse cases to demonstrate how accounting frameworks apply in practice. These are complemented by interactive case analysis and professional experience sharing modules. After unpacking theoretical applications, students connect concepts to their own role-specific challenges. I also enhance practical relevance by inviting guest speakers with targeted expertise, bridging textbook knowledge to real-time industry challenges. This approach builds students’ ability to apply theory to complex, cross-regional scenarios, hones analytical skills tailored to their professional fields, and fosters practical accounting literacy. I believe this student-centric, practice-driven innovation equips them to tackle real-world accounting challenges in their future careers. Once again, I extend my sincere thanks for this recognition, which reinforces my commitment to advancing innovative, impactful accounting education.”

Professor Dawei WANG (Team Leader)
Assistant Professor

Prof. Haipeng SHEN
Patrick S C Poon Professor in Analytics and Innovation
Chair of Business Analytics and Innovation

“We are deeply honoured to receive this Teaching Innovation Award for our “Beat The Bot” simulation. This simulation is the result of countless hours of design, testing, and classroom refinement, driven by our belief that AI should not replace our students, but empower them. “Beat The Bot” gives students an interactive and fun environment to experience human–AI collaboration first-hand. Students get to see where AI excels, where humans add value, and why creativity and innovation remain as human skills that cannot be replaced. Apart from the content that it teaches, “Beat The Bot” has also transformed our classrooms from passive listening into active experimentation, discussion, and reflection. We hope this award marks the beginning of a new generation of experiential, human-centred AI education at HKU Business School!”

Professor Dragon TANG
Professor

“I am honored to receive the Faculty Special Contribution Teaching Award. This recognition is more than my personal achievement. It reflects the rising importance of teaching and learning in the area of sustainable finance and related issues, both in Hong Kong and globally. The establishment of the Master of Sustainable Accounting and Finance programme demonstrates HKU Business School’s commitment to provide pioneering business and economics education that nurtures dynamic and responsible leaders. I thank the Faculty leadership, colleagues and external collaborators for their support that has helped making the sustainable finance courses and the MSAF programme successful.”