RISE People

Ir Harry LAI is the former Principal Advisor/Carbon Neutrality of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) who is providing advice to EMSD on carbon neutrality policies and initiatives.  Before assuming his current position in Sep 2021, Ir LAI served as the Principal Energy Advisor of EMSD during 2019-2021.  Prior to his retirement from the civil services in 2019, Ir LAI was the Deputy Director of EMSD responsible for overseeing the enforcement of regulatory functions and implementation of various initiatives on electrical, mechanical, gas and railway safety as well as energy efficiency and conservation.  Since joining EMSD in 1981, Ir LAI had served in many strategic positions in the Department as well as in different policy bureaux of the HKSAR Government.  With over 40 years of professional experience in the electrical and mechanical engineering fields, Ir LAI spent most of his career life in areas related to the regulation of energy supply safety and security as well as the promotion of energy efficiency and renewable energy.  He was one of the few electricity market reform and nuclear energy experts in the HKSAR Government.  

Ir LAI was representing Hong Kong, China (HKC) to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Energy Working Group (EWG) meetings since 2013, and had participated in over 12 EWG meetings and 2 APEC Energy Ministers’ meetings.  He was responsible for leading his team to host and co-chair the EWG 55 meeting held in HKC in May 2018 as well as other EWG expert group meetings held in HKC during 2019-2020.  He was also directing the implementation of APEC funded and self-funded projects initiated by HKC.  Besides, Ir LAI had represented the HKSAR Government to attend the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meeting. 

Ir LAI received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and Master of Science degree in Environmental Management, both from the University of Hong Kong.  He is a chartered engineer, a fellow member of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), UK.  He had served as Chairman of the HKIE Nuclear Division, Secretary of the HKIE Electrical Disciplinary Advisory Panel, and also Member of the HKIE Fellowship Committee.  Throughout his career, Ir LAI had also received a wide range of professional training in various overseas academic institutions, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Florida, Harvard University Kennedy School, IMD Business School in Switzerland, and Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.