Bernard Charnwut Chan

The Honourable

Bernard Charnwut Chan
*Charnwut Sophonpanich*

GBM, GBS, JP
The Honourable; Bernard Charnwut Chan; Charnwut Sophonpanich; GBM, GBS, JP
陳智思
Non-official Convenor of the Executive Council
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 1 July 2017
Appointed by	Carrie Lam
Preceded by	Lam Woon-kwong
Non-official Member of the Executive Council
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 1 July 2012
Appointed by	Leung Chun-ying; Carrie Lam
	In office; 26 October 2004 – 20 January 2009
Appointed by	Tung Chee-hwa; Donald Tsang
Chairman of the Council of Lingnan University
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 22 October 2010
Deputy	Sophia Kao
Delegate to the National People's Congress
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; March 2008
Chairman	Wu Bangguo; Zhang Dejiang; Li Zhanshu
Constituency	Hong Kong
Member of the Legislative Council
	In office; 1 July 1998 – 30 September 2008
Succeeded by	Chan Kin-por
Constituency	Insurance
Personal details
Born	11 January 1965 (age 56); British Hong Kong
Spouse(s)	Yeo Peck Leng
Relations	Chin Sophonpanich (grandfather); Robin Chan (father); Chatri Sophonpanich (uncle); Chartsiri Sophonpanich (cousin)
Children	2
Alma mater	Pomona College (BA)

Bernard Charnwut Chan GBM GBS JP (Chinese: 陳智思; Jyutping: Can4 Zi3 Si1; 11 January 1965), is a Hong Kong politician and businessman, the incumbent Non-official Convenor of the Executive Council.

Background[]

Chan born in Hong Kong with family roots in Chaoyang, Canton, also known by his Thai name Charnwut Sophonpanich (Thai: ชาญวุฒิ โสภณพนิช; RTGS: Chanwut Sophonphanit),^[1]^[2] He is the grandson of Chin Sophonpanich, the late Thai Chinese founder of Bangkok Bank.^[3] He graduated from The Hill School in 1983 and Pomona College in 1988 with a BA in Studio Art.^[4] He is an investor in Thailand's Bumrungrad International Hospital.^[5] He is married to Singaporean Yeo Peck Leng and has two children who inherited Thai and American citizenships.

Chan is the Convener of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council, appointed by Carrie Lam in July 2017. He was a member of the Legislative Council (Legco) from 1998 to 2008, representing the Insurance constituency. He became a Hong Kong Deputy to National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China in 2008.^[6] He chairs several government advisory bodies: the , the Standing Committee on Judicial Salaries and Condition of Services and the . He chaired the Antiquities Advisory Board from 2009–2013 and the from 2001–2006.^[7]

Outside of politics, he is President of Asia Financial Holdings and its main subsidiary, Asia Insurance.^[8] Among his business successes are the formation in 1999 of , a joint venture of nine Hong Kong institutions that provides Mandatory Provident Fund services and of which he was founding chairman. He is also Chairman of The Hong Kong Council of Social Service, Chair of the Hong Kong-Thailand Business Council, Chairman of the Council of Lingnan University and Vice-Chairman of Oxfam Hong Kong; he is also chairman of the annual HK Oxfam Trailwalker event – a fund-raising 100-kilometre race that attracts teams from around the world.^[9] He played a part in the creation of , a framework that creates partnerships between the business and welfare sectors. Chan has been awarded Commander (third class) of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand^[10], the Grand Bauhinia Medal (GBM)^[11], the Gold Bauhinia Star (GBS) and Justice of the Peace (JP).

He has previously also held American and Thai citizenship until 2004, when he was appointed member of the Executive Council.^[12]^[13]

In April 2021, he wrote an opinion piece, claiming that the NPCSC's decision to reform elections and only allow "patriots" to serve in the government was good and that "Taxpayers should welcome the revamp."^[14]

Family[]

In 2011, Chan's wife Yeo Peck Leng founded an "alternative" private primary school, the Almitas Academy, with the couple's two sons as the only pupils. A year later the strongly Christian school, which operates in a commercial building in North Point, had 12 pupils aged from six to 12, about a third of whom have special needs. The academy works closely with parents to nurture their children to their fullest potential. Effective 1 January 2013, the academy changed its status to a not for profit organisation and also took the opportunity to change the English name of the school to Grace Christian Academy.

References[]

^ Second SAR Legislative Council formed
^ Yau Lee Holdings Ltd. (0406): Executive Profile
^ (in Chinese) 陳智思議員 Archived 6 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
^ Barber, Mary (5 May 1988). "After Bout With Rare Heart Disease, Student Creates Legacy of Art". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "News Digest: Hospital teams up with Cathay Pacific to launch medical tourism". The China. 29 December 2010. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013.
^ [1]
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 9 March 2008. Retrieved 2007-12-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) (page inaccessible)
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ http://www.oxfam.org.hk/fs/view/downloadables/pdf/annual-review/2005AR_35-36.pdf^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Bernard Chan Archived 9 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
^ "CE presents honours". Hong Kong's Information Services Department (in Chinese). Retrieved 22 September 2021.
^ 棄美籍10年或仍要交稅-陳智思啞子食黃連
^ 20% of 70 is not 12 Archived 1 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Hong Kong electoral reform a timely cure for Legco paralysis". South China Morning Post. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.

External links[]

Official website

Legislative Council of Hong Kong
New parliament	Member of Legislative Council Representative for Insurance 1998–2008	Succeeded by Chan Kin-por
Political offices
Preceded by Lam Woon-kwong	Convenor of the Executive Council 2017–present	Incumbent
Order of precedence
Preceded by Andrew Leung President of the Legislative Council	Hong Kong order of precedence Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council	Succeeded by Laura Cha Non-official member of the Executive Council

[1] Second SAR Legislative Council formed

[2] Yau Lee Holdings Ltd. (0406): Executive Profile

[3] (in Chinese) 陳智思議員 Archived 6 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine

[LAT_disease-4] Barber, Mary (5 May 1988). "After Bout With Rare Heart Disease, Student Creates Legacy of Art". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] "News Digest: Hospital teams up with Cathay Pacific to launch medical tourism". The China. 29 December 2010. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013.

[6] [1]

[7] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 9 March 2008. Retrieved 2007-12-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) (page inaccessible)

[8] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[9] ttp://www.oxfam.org.hk/fs/view/downloadables/pdf/annual-review/2005AR_35-36.pdf^{[permanent dead link]}

[10] Bernard Chan Archived 9 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine

[11] "CE presents honours". Hong Kong's Information Services Department (in Chinese). Retrieved 22 September 2021.

[12] 棄美籍10年或仍要交稅-陳智思啞子食黃連

[13] 20% of 70 is not 12 Archived 1 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine

[14] "Hong Kong electoral reform a timely cure for Legco paralysis". South China Morning Post. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.

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