New appointments

SFT is pleased to welcome to Prof. Joselito Razal and Andy Hou who took up the positions of Professor and Professor of Practice respectively.

Prof. Razal joins us from Deakin University in Australia, where he was a full professor at the Institute for Frontier Materials and the director of the ARC Research Hub for Functional and Sustainable Fibres. An internationally recognised leader in his field, Prof. Razal has an exceptional scholarly record, including Science, Nature, Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, and other high-impact outlets. His work focuses on functional and sustainable fibres and materials, particularly for flexible energy storage and harvesting systems. This includes developing multi-functional fibres that can store and convert energy, as well as sense movement and pressure for use in wearable devices, smart textiles, and portable electronics. 

Prof. Andre Hou is a seasoned expert in the luxury industry, excelling in brand management, operations, and strategic growth. At Louis Vuitton, he achieved a nine-fold sales increase over nine years, while reducing operating costs and losses. At Chanel Hong Kong and Macau, he led 13 boutiques to drive a three-fold sales growth, managed store expansions and closures, and handled significant recruitment for the fashion sector. Since 2019, as part of Boucheron APAC, Kering Group, Prof. Hou has driven a remarkable ten-fold sales increase through strategic leadership and team restructuring. His strengths in strategic insight, operational excellence, and leadership have led to a consistent track record of profitability. His extensive luxury industry network enables him to foster valuable partnerships.

SFT is excited to see the impact of their works and are confident that they will make substantial contributions across research, education, and collaboration at PolyU, SFT and beyond.