HKU–Pepperdine Cross-Pacific Dialogue on Law, Economics & Innovation
We were delighted to host a special high-level event: HKU–Pepperdine Cross-Pacific Dialogue on Law, Economics & Innovation on 24 April 2026. Jointly organized by HKU Business School along with the HKU Faculty of Law and HKU Business School Alumni Association, the event attracted over 100 attendees.
The morning began with an exchange between President Jim Gash, the Pepperdine University’s senior leadership, and Dean Hongbin Cai. This was followed by an inspiring programme featuring, Fireside Chat: International Law and Global Economics, and Panel discussion: Venture Capital, Universities, and Geopolitics: Navigating Innovation Between Hong Kong, the US and Asia.
We were honoured to welcome our fireside chat speakers:
- President Jim Gash, Pepperdine University
- Hualing Fu, Dean, HKU Faculty of Law
- Heiwai Tang, Associate Vice-President (Global), HKU and Associate Dean (External Relations), HKU Business School
From our panel, we warmly welcomed:
- Kenneth Wong, Director and Kerry Group Professor in Public Policy, HKU School of Governance and Policy
- Jason Woodard, Co-Director, HKU School of Innovation
- Fred Li, Managing Director and Head of University Ventures, Gobi Partners (HKU Business School alumnus)
- Nicky Mac Cullum, Venture Partner, Elaphurus Capital (Pepperdine alumnus)
- Beaux Pontak, Managing Director, Deutsche Bank (Pepperdine alumnus & moderator)
To our students and young leaders, thank you for joining us and engaging so actively. It was a rare opportunity to learn directly from some of the finest minds shaping thought leadership across continents.
A heartfelt thank you to President Jim Gash and the Pepperdine delegation for travelling across the Pacific, and a special thanks to Pepperdine alumnus, Mr. Mahesh Harilela for helping make this meaningful partnership possible. We also thank all the speakers who made this wonderful event possible.
