Jeffrey Lam

The Honourable Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung GBS, JP
林健鋒
Non-official Member of the Executive Council
Incumbent
Assumed office 17 October 2012
Appointed by	Leung Chun-ying
Member of the Legislative Council
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 October 2004
Preceded by	James Tien
Constituency	Commercial (First)
Personal details
Born	23 October 1951
Political party	Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong Economic Synergy
Other political affiliations	Liberal Party (quit 2008)
Spouse(s)	Cynthia Lam
Alma mater	St. Joseph's College Tufts University (BSME)
Occupation	Managing Director

Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, GBS, JP (Chinese: 林健鋒; Cantonese Yale: Lam Gihn Fūng; born 23 October 1951 in Hong Kong) is a non-official member of the Executive Council (Exco )and member of the Legislative Council (Legco), representing the Commercial (First) functional constituency. He is currently the vice-chairman of the pro-business pro-Beijing Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA).

Education

Lam attended St. Joseph's College (class of 1969) and graduated in Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University in the United States.

Career

He is managing director of Forward Winsome Industries, a toy manufacturer. He is also a General Committee Member of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Hong Kong Industries.^[1]

In the 2004 Legislative Council election, he represented the Liberal Party to run in the Commercial (First) functional constituency whose electors were the members of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, as incumbent James Tien, chairman of the Liberal Party, ran for direct election in the New Territories East. Lam has since held the seat.

As a long-term member of the Liberal Party, he was nominated to be party chairman following the resignation of James Tien after the latter's defeat in the 2008 Legislative Council election in September 2008.

In October 2012 after the Legislative Council election, Lam co-founded the pro-business Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA) and became vice-chairman. On 17 October 2012, he was appointed non-official member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.

Controversies

In 2014, Lam had his licence suspended for six months for dangerous driving after he drove in the wrong lane at the junction of Wang Chiu Road and Cheung Yip Street in Kowloon Bay.^[2]

On 18 June 2015, Lam famously orchestrated the departure of the majority of the pro-Beijing Legislative Councillors from the legislative chamber just moments before votes were to be cast on the long-awaited Beijing-ordered Chief Executive election reform legislation which they intended to support. The legislation was voted down, 28 to 8. The few voting for were present only because Lam had failed to communicate the walkout to them effectively, and thereby contributed to the quorum required for the ballot to take place.^[3] Lam apologised and also fought back tears. In a WhatsApp message circulated among pro-Beijing allies, Lam described Thursday as "the saddest day" of his 11 years in Legco. "I have learnt a very painful lesson," he said.^[4]

Awards

In 1996, Lam was appointed a Justice of Peace and awarded Member of the Order of the British Empire.^[5] In 2004 he received the Silver Bauhinia Star.^[6] and 2011 the Gold Bauhinia Star.

External links

• Official site of Jeffrey Lam
• Legco Members' biographies

References

1. Jeffrey Lam website
2. "Lawmaker Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung has licence suspended for dangerous driving". South China Morning Post. 21 March 2014.
3. South China Morning Post 18 June 2015
4. Cheung, Tony; Lai, Ying-kit; Lam, Jeffie (20 June 2015). "Bickering escalates in pro-Beijing camp over bungled Legco vote on Hong Kong political reform". South China Morning Post.
5. Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce press release
6. Fowind company profile