The “Hang Seng x Value Partners – University Elite ESG Challenge 2023” is a six-month programme that helps students become an “ESG Elite.”

Value Partners Group, an Asian asset manager, announced this week that it has collaborated with Hang Seng Bank to sponsor the “University Elite ESG Challenge 2023.” 

The ESG Challenge, hosted by The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, is open to all undergraduate university students in Hong Kong, the firm said in a statement. 

It is an ESG-themed competition, where 47 teams comprising 141 students from 9 local universities joined the ESG Challenge. A series of events are prepared in order to help every participant to grow to become an “ESG Elite,” through the e-learning and trading simulation provided, the firm added.
 
A Launch Forum of the ESG Challenge, which was held at The Chinese University of Hong Kong on 29 October 2022, marked the official start of the ESG Challenge. It was attended by about 100 students, the firm said.
 
Joseph Chan Ho-lim, JP, under-secretary for financial services and the treasury, the government of Hong Kong SAR, said: “ESG is a topic of increasing strategic importance in the world today. The Hong Kong SAR has also made various efforts and implemented ESG-related guidelines and measures to support ESG development locally in recent years.” 

“We are glad to see the strong support of various parts of the business and academic community in promoting ESG to local students, and are excited to see the launch of the Hang Seng x Value Partners – University Elite ESG Challenge 2023,” he continued.

Rosita Lee, director and CEO of Hang Seng Investment Management added: “With the increasing number of ESG products and services coming to the market in recent years, Hang Seng Investment Management believes that helping the younger generation to better understand the principles of responsible investing would help promote the sustainable development of the financial industry and society as a whole. We look forward to enhancing students' knowledge of ESG, and also raising their interest in ESG finance through this ESG Challenge.”

June Wong, CEO of Value Partners Group said: “The ESG and sustainability universe is rapidly growing and evolving over the past decade. As one of the leaders of ESG investing in Greater China, we hope to equip students with techniques to conduct financial analysis from an ESG perspective through training and coaching, in a way to achieve better investment returns in the long run.”
 
Professor Louis Cheng, Dr S H Ho professor of banking and finance at The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, added: “ESG is an important concept nowadays for students interested in working in the business sector. The overwhelming responses from students within two weeks of soft opening resulted in 47 teams from nine universities being selected for the challenge. Through a series of physical and online training events, this ESG Challenge aims to train all student participants to become an "ESG Elite."