New appointments

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

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.

Dr Miyuki Cheng integrates academic excellence in global fashion management and doctoral research in fashion supply chain strategies at SFT with extensive professional experience as a merchandising manager in different leading global buying offices. Her expertise encompasses international sourcing, trend analysis, product development, textiles, and costing. Having worked with VF Asia, Ralph Lauren, and Ann Taylor, she managed sourcing operations across key Asia Pacific markets, including China, Bangladesh, Cambodia,  Vietnam and Myanmar. Drawing on her industry background, Dr Cheng’s current research and teaching focus on buying, global sourcing and reshoring strategies, which advance evidence-based approaches to optimise fashion supply chains and managerial practices.

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.