Name: Katherine Ng
Job title: Head of Listing
Organisation: Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd (HKEX)
1. Brief description of nominee’s role and job.
Katherine Ng is Head of Listing at HKEX, where she oversees the listing of equity and debt securities and structured products, the regulation of more than 2,600 listed companies, and the continuous enhancement of the Exchange’s Listing Rules to align with international best practice.
Leading a division of more than 300 professionals, she is responsible for strategic planning, policy development, market consultations and regulator engagement. Her remit spans IPO approvals, ongoing issuer supervision and rule reform.
Katherine reports directly to HKEX Chief Executive Officer Bonnie Y Chan, is a member of HKEX’s Management Committee, and serves on the Disciplinary Committees of the Hong Kong Futures Exchange, Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong.
2. Short bio (career highlights, education, interests/hobbies).
Katherine joined HKEX in 2013 as Head of Policy for the Listing Division, later serving as Head of Policy and Secretariat Services before assuming her current role in February 2023.
She has 25 years' experience across legal and financial services in London and Hong Kong. Her career spans private legal practice, investment banking as legal counsel, and public service as Political Assistant to the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of the Hong Kong Government.
She currently serves on the Advisory Committee of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and holds several public and industry roles, including Board Member of LME Clear, Advisor to Our Hong Kong Foundation and Director of WWF Hong Kong.
Katherine holds a Master of Arts in Law from Trinity College, University of Cambridge and is qualified to practise law in Hong Kong and in England and Wales.
Outside work, she prioritises community service and finds balance hiking with her family and walking her dog.
3. What were your professional highlights and challenges of 2025?
2025 marked a year of significant momentum for Hong Kong’s capital markets.
IPO Leadership and Capital Raising Strength Hong Kong reclaimed its position as the world’s top IPO fundraising market, raising HK$286.9 billion across 119 listings, including two of the world’s five largest IPOs. In addition, listed companies raised US$66 billion through follow-on offerings – a 136 percent year-on-year increase.
While improved market sentiment played a role, this performance also reflected sustained enhancements to HKEX’s listing regime.
Technology Enterprises Channel HKEX launched a dedicated channel to support specialist technology and biotech issuers, providing clearer guidance on eligibility and listing rules. This reinforced Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s biotech hub and an attractive venue for innovative enterprises.
Process and Governance Reform Key reforms implemented or advanced in 2025 included:
Paperless listing processes
Optimised IPO price discovery mechanisms
Refinement of open-market and public float requirements
Strengthened ongoing public float framework
These measures streamlined listing processes while reinforcing investor protection and market quality.
Internationalisation of Listings HKEX deepened engagement with overseas issuers, facilitating listings from jurisdictions including Kazakhstan, Singapore, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. The recognition of the Stock Exchange of Thailand as a Recognised Stock Exchange further strengthened cross-border connectivity.
Board Diversity Milestone 2025 marked the first year of the ban on single-gender boards. Compliance across Hong Kong’s listed companies was near universal, with 46 percent of issuers appointing more than one female director. The reform created approximately 800 new board roles for women, with broader cultural and governance impact.
Corporate Governance Code Enhancements New Corporate Governance Code requirements took effect, strengthening director training, board accountability and governance standards. The most consistent leadership challenge throughout 2025 was balancing pace with prudence – scaling listing volumes while maintaining rule clarity, regulatory integrity and investor confidence.
4. Tell us about a few of your key achievements throughout your career?
A defining theme of Katherine’s career has been strengthening Hong Kong’s listing franchise to ensure it remains globally competitive.
Her cross-sector experience – spanning law, banking, government and exchange policy – enables her to align regulatory objectives with market needs and to design reforms that enhance both efficiency and quality. At HKEX, this has included:
Expanding listing pathways for innovative issuers
Shortening IPO settlement cycles
Streamlining application processes
Advancing board diversity
Introducing phased climate disclosure requirements
Reinforcing investor protections through enhanced governance and disclosure
A hallmark of her approach has been structured consultation and phased implementation, enabling reforms to be adopted effectively and sustainably. For example, governance reforms were sequenced thoughtfully – first addressing gender diversity before turning to overboarding and long-serving independent directors.
She also emphasises that these achievements are collective. Leading and delivering with a highly committed Listing Division team remains one of the most meaningful aspects of her career.
5. What and who inspires, and has inspired, you to achieve your professional success?
Katherine’s primary inspiration is her family, who encourage her to strive for excellence while maintaining perspective and balance.
Professionally, she is inspired by her team and by mentors within HKEX’s leadership, including CEO Bonnie Y Chan, whose example reinforces the importance of integrity, resilience and forward-looking leadership.
6. How have you overcome setbacks, and what advice would you give to others dealing with setbacks?
Katherine approaches setbacks with reflection and self-compassion. She evaluates what could have been done differently and focuses on strengthening processes and communication to prevent recurrence.
She believes decisions must be judged in context, based on the information available at the time. Progress is defined not by perfection, but by the improvements made thereafter.
7. What advice do you have for other women who aspire to be in leadership positions? What is the biggest takeaway you want to leave with the reader?
Her advice is to seek roles that stretch perspective and deepen judgement.
A career that spans sectors – as hers has from law to banking to public service to exchange leadership – builds multidimensional insight. That breadth strengthens decision-making and leadership effectiveness.
Leadership is shaped not by a linear path, but by the willingness to step into new environments, embrace complexity and grow through experience.