Somerley was pleased to sponsor the 7th annual conference of HKiNEDA 香港獨立非執行董事協會 held on 10 December 2022 at Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) under a “A New Era in Governance: Carbon Neutrality and Board Diversity” theme. Our director and responsible officer, Stephanie Chow (second from right) represented Somerley at the conference, which comes as the Hong Kong Stock Exchange encourages companies to improve board diversity and increase focus on the environment.  

As a leading Hong Kong corporate finance adviser, Somerley maintains a close relationship with independent non-executive directors (INEDs), for example when providing an independent opinion on connected transactions and other significant corporate actions. This supports the role of INEDs when they are involved in providing their views to minority shareholders. With the constantly evolving regulatory landscape and capital market conditions, the role of INEDs is increasingly critical to the governance of listed issuers, and as Somerley we work hard to understand and reflect the concerns of INEDs.  

The HKiNEDA, registered in 2015, serves as a professional platform for INEDs in Hong Kong and the Greater China region. It aims at enhancing professional development of INEDs, strengthening the status of Hong Kong as a financial centre, emphasising corporate governance and sustainable development. Numerous events and seminars are organised each year by the HKiNEDA, including their annual conference focusing on current issues of the capital market. We look forward to cooperating with HKiNEDA on future events and endeavours.