This is the ninth consecutive year in which Prestige has drawn up its 40 Under 40 rollcall, young individuals whose vigour, determination, optimism, foresight and entrepreneurial spirit have done so much to transform our lives. It’s also three years since we re-vamped our roster of youthful excellence – and with Hong Kong now fully open, I know I can speak for the entire team by saying how energised we are about this project, which has always been dear to our hearts.
During the past three years, we’ve welcomed to the 40 Under 40 community an even more diverse cross-section of talents from all walks of life – and that variety proves just how multi-faceted Hong Kong is. Although some people may have moved on to new horizons in the last few years, we’ve never lost sight of our mission to recognise the dynamic individuals who, in addition to pursuing and realising their own dreams, have put their faith just as strongly in their home city. That we had no difficulty this year in identifying 40 such people to join our ever-growing family of inventiveness and enterprise is more than simply inspiring; it also fills us with hope for the future. At risk of repeating myself, we’re energised by their energy.
Equally gratifying is hearing from all our honourees how much they value not merely our recognition of their accomplishments, but also that of their peers – and the past 12 months alone have seen some remarkable achievements. Take, for example, Anson Lo and Edan Lui, whose solo activities beyond the band Mirror have included major concerts, debut singles and films. Artist Chan Wai Lap, whose life-sized swimming pool installation at the Hong Kong Museum of Art has drawn awestruck passers-by to step into his fantasy world. Or there’s climate activist Natalie Chung, who was selected to join an international expedition to the Antarctic alongside marine biologists, researchers and policymakers. Equally inspiring is swimmer Camille Cheng, who as well as training for the forthcoming Asian and Olympic games has long-term ambitions in the treatment of mental health.
In the field of hospitality, we’ve been blown away by Steve Lee of Hansik Goo, whose efforts and creativity in the kitchen not only helped win the Korean restaurant a Michelin star for the second year running, but also snagged him a Young Chef Award. And as for bartender Ajit Gurung, he not only played a key part in ensuring that COA has just been voted Asia’s best bar for the third year running, but he’s now branched out to co-helm a ground-breaking new establishment in Central, The Savory Project.
Those, of course, represent just a handful of the 40 impactful individuals whose life journeys you’ll be reading about in these pages, every one of whom we’re sure is bound for even greater things. We’ll be following their progress avidly, just as we’re looking forward to honouring the efforts of yet more remarkable young talents in the years to come. Our congratulations to them all!