Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU Faculty of Engineering

Ms NG Hoi Lam 吳海琳女士
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Manufacturing Engineering (Product Engineering and Marketing), 2001

Karen Ng Hoi Lam is a sustainability leader with over 25 years of experience spanning multinational corporations, academia, and community engagement. She most recently served as Director, Sustainability & Responsible Sourcing, Asia Pacific at Starbucks Coffee Company, where she led ESG governance, stakeholder engagement, climate risk management, circular economy innovation, and responsible sourcing across multiple markets in the region.

In this role, she was instrumental in advancing Starbucks’ regional sustainability strategy, including driving high reusable cup adoption through pioneer programmes such as Borrow A Cup, contributing to the development and expansion of the Greener Stores programme, and embedding circular economy principles into retail operations. Her work focused on translating global sustainability ambition into locally relevant, operationally viable solutions, enabling measurable improvements in energy efficiency, waste reduction, and resource stewardship through data driven and technology enabled approaches.

Her professional journey reflects a distinctive integration of engineering discipline, legal insight, and sustainability leadership. She began her career in compliance at Esquel Group, progressed to responsible sourcing at Walmart Global Sourcing, and later contributed to climate education and sustainability initiatives at HSBC before joining Starbucks. Across these roles, she has been recognized for bridging strategy and execution, particularly in complex, multi market operating environments.

Beyond corporate leadership, she is deeply committed to education and knowledge transfer. As a Visiting Lecturer at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, she teaches Green Legislations and Supply Chain Logistics, bringing real world ESG challenges into the classroom. She actively mentors students in case competitions, co designs industry–academia workshops, and supports applied research through industry collaboration, exemplifying a closed loop innovation model that connects corporate practice with academic inquiry.

Karen holds a First Class Honours Bachelor of Engineering in Product Engineering and Marketing from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, a Bachelor of Laws from the University of London, and a Master’s degree in Sustainability Leadership from the University of Cambridge. She is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM®) and a Certified Carbon Auditor Professional.

Her contributions extend to the wider community through service on the ESG Committee of the Hong Kong Logistics Association and as a mentor with the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. A frequent speaker and moderator at ESG and supply chain forums, Karen continues to advance industry capability building and cross sector collaboration.

Her selection as the recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU’s Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering 2026 (Professional Achievement) recognizes her sustained commitment to sustainability leadership, academic–industry collaboration, and professional excellence.