Welcoming Our New Governors!

We are thrilled to welcome our new governors, Joseph Fung and Phil Witherington, to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong! Join us in celebrating their dedication and vision for CanCham. We’re excited for the journey ahead!

Joseph Fung
Governor

Joseph has worked at the crossroads of business execution and strategic development since 2002. Based in Hong Kong, he manages and operates a venture capital fund house focusing on life sciences, clean technology, and education. He fosters partnerships between Canada and Hong Kong to support startups on a global scale.

A notable responsibility includes being appointed by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in ABAC to represent Canada in APEC with the support of the Minister of Trade and Global Affairs Canada. Joseph is the APEC Senior Official and Ministers’ Vice-Chair of Policy Partnership in Food Security, the Chair of Food Systems & Security and Co-Chair of Sustainability in APEC Business Advisory Council. Joseph is also the Hong Kong ABLAC representative for the Asia Pacific Foundation, the innovation and technology chair for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, the advisory board member of Creative Destruction Labs Global, and the management board director of Versitech under the University of Hong Kong. 

Phil Witherington
Governor

Phil Witherington is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Manulife Asia and has been a member of Manulife’s Executive Leadership Team since 2017. He oversees Manulife’s fast-growing Asia franchise, which includes operations in Hong Kong and Macau, mainland China, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Myanmar.

Before his current role, Phil served as Chief Financial Officer at Manulife starting in 2018 where he managed the company’s global financial affairs, and successfully led the implementation of IFRS 17 and IFRS 9. Phil joined Manulife in 2014 as Chief Financial Officer of Manulife Asia and served as its Interim President & Chief Executive Officer in 2017.

With over 25 years of experience in insurance and financial services, Phil has worked in both developed and emerging markets within Asia and globally. Prior to joining Manulife, he led finance for the Retail Banking and Wealth Management business at HSBC in Asia Pacific and served as the Deputy Regional Chief Financial Officer for its Asian insurance businesses. He was also Vice President of Finance at AIA, in Hong Kong and spent a decade with KPMG in London and Hong Kong, specializing in financial services audit and advisory services, focusing particularly on life insurance clients.

Let’s extend a warm welcome to our new governors as they embark on this important journey with us!