Cathay’s annual signature tech event attracted more than 500 applicants from local universities, each offering a unique academic background and skillset. Following an in-depth selection process, 20 teams were invited to participate in the 24-hour Hackathon Event, where after an intense period of ideation, development and prototyping, the teams presented their ideas to a select panel of industry experts, competing for a wide range of prizes such as airline tickets and Asia Miles. 

Cathay Director Digital and IT Lawrence Fong said: “We are delighted to bring the full Cathay Hackathon event back to Cathay City physically for the first time since 2018, allowing participants to interact more, be inspired more, and to ideate more.

“The Cathay Hackathon reflects our commitment to becoming one of the world’s greatest service brands and a digital leader with a strong digital culture and capabilities. We are also a strong advocate for developing talent across various sectors of the aviation industry, and the Hackathon will enable young talents to be equipped with professional knowledge, foster innovation, and arouse their interest in the travel and lifestyle industry.

“Furthermore, as we set our sights on being carbon net-zero by 2050, the Cathay Hackathon also serves as an excellent platform to float and adopt innovative and sustainable practices, allowing us to strive towards an eco-friendly future.”

During the overnight event, the participants worked with industry professionals to refine their ideas. Over 30 coaches and mentors were on site to provide industry insight and instruction to the participants, and advise them in their software, design and business development. 

Participants were also invited to visit Cathay’s offices and partners, where they were given unique behind-the-scenes access to the company’s airport operations to learn about what challenges it faces, and to hear about how it currently utilises technology to better its offerings.

The winning team, Cathay Green, comprised five students from various backgrounds. Envisioning a more sustainable lifestyle, they proposed the use of currency systems and AI algorithms to facilitate sustainable practices and carbon-offsetting to enhance customers’ experience by promoting a green lifestyle.

Cathay Green member Ryan Lam said: “It has been an exhausting 24 hours of creation and development! Although we ran out of time during the initial pitch, we are happy to bounce back strong with a good presentation at the finals and win the Cathay Hackathon!”

Each Cathay Green member won a Business Class return ticket to any destination within the Cathay Pacific network. They also shared a total of 100,000 Asia Miles, and all of them will have the opportunity to join Cathay Pacific and further their ideas as a Digital & IT Summer Intern. Meanwhile, members of the top three teams were each awarded a unique non-tradable NFT to congratulate them on their performance in the Cathay Hackathon and allow them to share their achievement in the Web3 world.

The Cathay Hackathon is part of Cathay’s ongoing commitment to inspiring local talent within the aviation industry, and to promote innovation and business development. Along with its many successful youth initiatives, such as the Digital & IT Summer Internship and Graduate Trainee programmes, Cathay continues to nurture and develop local talent and promote aviation, travel lifestyle, technology, sustainability and innovation in Hong Kong. The 2023 Digital and IT Graduate Trainee Programme is now accepting application until 30 November.  https://careers.cathaypacific.com/jobs/2023-digital-and-it-graduate-trainee-programme-2208198