Reunions, reflections and friendship: Wadham’s May visit to Hong Kong

The Warden, Robert Hannigan, his wife Celia, and Development Director, Julie Hage, returned to Hong Kong in May and reconnected with Wadham’s warm and engaged alumni community in the city.

The Wadham visitors met with alumni and friends at an Alumni Reception at the Hong Kong Club on 13th May. In his remarks, the Warden shared recent College news, gave an update on our mission to deliver Oxford’s most ambitious sustainability strategy, and spoke about the plans to secure Wadham’s educational mission into the future with the launch of an endowment campaign later this year.

The Warden made some personal reflections, remembering his first visit to Hong Kong in 2023, which made a lasting impression. He noted that, at a time when Oxford and Wadham are addressing some of the world’s biggest problems, Wadham’s alumni in Hong Kong reflect many of our greatest strengths: intellectual achievement and innovation, a commitment to public life, and a global outlook. The Warden also paid tribute to Dr Lee Shau Kee’s pioneering vision to create one of Oxford’s most significant scholarship schemes, and how the vibrancy of the community is a testament to this vision.

In addition to the alumni reception, the Wadham delegation enjoyed lunch with a group of Lee Shau Kee scholars. This month’s visit came shortly after Wadham held a memorial exhibition for Dr Lee Shau Kee, who supported more than 100 scholars over almost fifty years. It was a pleasure to meet up with the Lee family and friends of the Lee Shau Kee Scholarship scheme to share pictures from the memorial exhibition opening.

As Wadham students, fellows and alumni take on contemporary global challenges – from educational inequality to climate change - we are all strengthened by the dedication and expertise of our global alumni clusters and the Hong Kong alumni cohort is no exception.

Development Director Julie Hage said: “Our Hong Kong alumni are generous with their time, energy and support to Wadham. On every visit we are reminded of the genuine appetite to stay connected to the College, to Oxford, and to one another. The network spans sectors and generations, and its members are helping shape the communities where they live – and the College’s future. It is a privilege to be part of that conversation.”

Special thanks go to our generous host, Foundation Fellow William Doo (Law, 1993), for making it possible to bring so many alumni together at the Hong Kong Club.