Speech by Mrs Jessie Ting, Deputy Secretary for Information Technology and Broadcasting at IT Excellence Awards Presentation Ceremony

19 January 2000

Mr Lai, Professor Poon, ladies and gentlemen,

I am honoured to be invited to tonight's IT Excellence Awards Presentation Ceremony organised by the Hong Kong Computer Society.

The IT Excellence Awards give recognition to local companies which excel in the application of IT to improve their business processes and to local IT companies with outstanding achievements in technological innovation. In doing so, the Awards spur Hong Kong businesses to pursue greater commercial success through the use of IT. At the same time, the Awards help nurture a vibrant IT industry in Hong Kong that takes pride in technological excellence. This is a laudable cause which my Bureau fully endorses.

Into the second year of its existence, the IT Excellence Awards Scheme has gained wide acceptance in the local business community, as evidenced by the large number and high quality of entries for the competition. Since the IT Excellence Awards Scheme was launched two years ago, the IT landscape in Hong Kong has been transformed very substantially. The local IT industry has been boosted by a notable inflow of capital as well as an impressive number of start-ups engaged in a variety of IT-related ventures. Closer cooperation between academia and industry has become a reality with the inception of a wide range of collaborative projects that bring the research capabilities of our universities and the actual needs of the industry closer together. At the same time, local businesses, SMEs included, have a heightened awareness and understanding of how IT can enhance their productivity and competitiveness.

Hong Kong's rapid development in the IT arena of late is partly attributable to the lead taken by Government in setting a clear strategy to develop Hong Kong into a world-class digital city. The "Digital 21" Information Technology Strategy, published in November 1998, maps out a blueprint for action with clear timetables and milestones. But the success of the Strategy does not hinge on Government's efforts alone. The support and active participation of businesses, academia and support organisations such as the Hong Kong Computer Society play an equally important role in bringing about concrete results. We look forward to working with all our partners to firmly establish Hong Kong as a leading light in the global IT map.

In closing, I would like to extend my congratulations to all the winners tonight for their achievements and I encourage you all to work together for our common IT goal.

Thank you.

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