Dr. Sarah LIAO, GBS, JP

Dr Sarah Liao graduated from the University of Hong Kong (HKU )with a Bachelor of Science degree (honours) in Chemistry and Botany in 1973. She obtained a Master of Science degree in Analytical Chemistry from Birmingham University U.K.in 1975. In 1984 she was awarded with a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Community Medicine from HKU.

Dr. Liao served as Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works of the Hong Kong SAR Government from 2002 to 2007, during which she successfully set up official Cross boundary collaboration with Guangdong in combatting pollution, enacted legislation on waste charging (construction waste and sewage), merged the Mass Transit Railway Corp (MTR) and the Kowloon Canton Railway Corp. (KCRC) and delivered according to plan public works programme averaging HK$27b per year.  Since 2008 Dr. Liao has been serving as a member of the Chinese Council of International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), Senior Advisor to the Vice Chancellor of HKU on Environmental and Sustainability Matters (until 2014); Acting Director of the Kadoorie Institute of HKU (2012-2016), Honorary Professor of the Dept. of Civil Engineering of HKU (up to present), Master of New College of HKU (up to present); non-executive director of Westport Inc. (until 2013), Convenience Retail Asia Ltd (2014 to present); Trustee on the Board of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)(2008-present); and a member of the Academic Network of the Our Hong Kong Foundation (2015- present).

Prior to 2002, Dr Liao was in the consultancy business in HK, the PRC and Taiwan. She was employed as the senior environmental advisor to Beijing's Olympic Bidding and Organizing Committees from 1999- 2002, and 2007-2008.

Dr. Liao is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Hong Kong Institute of Engineers and HKU. She was awarded the Justice of the Peace in 1994, Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1997 and the Gold Bauhinia Star (GBS) in 2007.