Pauline Ng

Pauline Ng is Director, Hong Kong Public Policy Research Centre at Tianda Institute.  After retiring as Secretary General of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, Pauline undertook a Bachelor of Organisational Leadership from UNE.

Pauline was very impressed by UNE as "its priority is on people and not so much on the prestige of the university." She started a social enterprise in 2017 while studying in UNE which provides a service for "young-olds". we60.com is a bilingual website whose objective is to help those who are approaching retirement to plan well for their future years and to know how to take care of their ageing parents and eventually to take care of themselves.

What was your UNE qualification?

Bachelor of Organisational Leadership 2018 .

Online or on-campus study?

Online.

How was your experience with UNE lecturers?

I mainly communicated with lecturers through the various forums and it was very helpful as they responded to our questions and views very promptly.

What was your reason for studying at UNE?

I retired in 2012 from my position as Secretary General of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. I decided to take up a study which would allow me to understand more about the young people today and also the commercial world (as I worked in the public sector throughout my 40 years' career). However as I was engaged by the Legislative Council to write a book on parliamentary procedures, I could not take up on-campus study, so online study would suit me perfectly. I looked up many universities which offered online programmes and was very impressed by UNE as its priority is on people and not so much on the prestige of the university.

Your current job?

Director, Hong Kong Public Policy Research Centre at Tianda Institute, responsible for overseeing research studies on the public policies in Hong Kong.

The personal qualities needed to do your job?

My 40 years in the public sector, including 20 years in the Government and 20 years in the Legislative Council, including over 18 years in a very senior position helped me a great deal in guiding my research colleagues in conducting studies in public policies. In my present job, I also need to reach out to a lot of people in a wide span of professional and circles.  My interpersonal skills and connections help me a lot in getting their trust and participation in our studies.

If you weren’t in this line of work, what do you think you’d be doing instead?

When I retired, I hope to pursue a new career which is different from what I had been doing in the past. That's the reason I took up studies in UNE. I started a social enterprise in 2017 while I was still studying in UNE and provide a service for "young-olds". I founded a new website called we60.com. It is a bilingual website so you can actually read it from all over the world. The objective is to help those who are approaching retirement to plan well for their future years and to know how to take care of their ageing parents and eventually to take care of themselves. Please visit we60.com to find out more. This is another line of my career. I am using my income from Tianda Institute to finance this website.  I hire 5 persons (3 disabled and 2 retired) to help me run this website.

Your advice for anyone interested in pursuing this type of career?  

My study in UNE provided me with the knowledge that we are now in a digital world and everyone (including those who are over 80 in age)is using mobile phone and tablets to get information and to get connected with the rest of the world. However as it has always been young people who are involved in this business, the quality of the information is normally unchecked and could be misleading and biased. This is very dangerous to the social development of any countries. We do need a fair and responsible media world.

The biggest challenge and biggest achievement you’ve experienced in your work or life in general?

The biggest challenge for any person in work-life is to get other people's trust. This is the biggest achievement I have made as despite the very unstable political environment in Hong Kong, I am still able to get the ears of the general public whenever I speak to the media on controversial issues. To be able to do that, I must be knowledgeable in the subject matters, be fair and be able to appreciate the different concerns in the community. I have remained politically neutral in my 40 years in the Government and in the Legislature.

How has your UNE qualification aided you in your career?

At the age of 60, one becomes obsessed by his/her own successful experience and can become very stubborn, thinking that waiving of one's stances would threaten his/her credibility and position. My new UNE qualification helps me to think differently and appreciate that the world is changing and we are dealing with challenges faced by a much younger world.

What inspires you inside work and outside work?

Networking is very important.  Maintaining a good relationship with colleagues in school and in work is a must.

In this time of Covid-19, how has the virus impacted your work?  

We now basically work from home. This is a good chance for us to get used to this new way of work life. It is also another way to prolong our work life and make the environment cleaner and more sustainable. However it would mean for those who are not able to work from home or cannot write, they would be losing their jobs and less gainfully employed.

Anything else you would like to share?

Threats and challenges are opportunities at the same time.