The two new initiatives, ‘Cathay ChangeMakers’ and ‘World As One’, which have been developed together with Social Ventures Hong Kong, are just the start of the airline’s efforts to re-energise its community objectives, which are to deliver positive change in society by collaborating with partners across different sectors to create shared value.

Cathay ChangeMakers pays tribute to and raises awareness of the work of Hong Kong people who have made a positive contribution to society, while World As One provides young people of diverse backgrounds with a thought-provoking travel experience that broadens their understanding of societal needs and cultivates empathy in their outlook on life.

Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Officer Rupert Hogg said: “Just like how we have been changing the way we do our business, it is important for us to work in new ways to address social challenges. Society is facing increasingly complex issues and no single party can solve them alone. Our revitalised approach to community engagement embraces both social innovations and shared value creation.”

During the ceremony, Mr Hogg presented awards to three Cathay ChangeMakers* – Gigi Tung, founder of food rescue and assistance programme Food Angel; Jeffrey Andrews, a registered social worker who is committed to helping ethnic minorities thrive; and Craig Leeson, director of the award-winning documentary “A Plastic Ocean”  – in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the community and the environment.

Through this particular initiative, Cathay Pacific vows to support the ChangeMakers by showcasing and promoting their important causes to a wide audience, including to its passengers, employees and business partners.

Meanwhile, participants from the World As One programme, comprising 15 Hong Kong youngsters, shared their experience during the ceremony of journeying to Cambodia last October, where they served as volunteers to help and serve the needs of the local people.

Through planned activities – including building new homes for villagers – and facilitated sharing sessions, each participant had the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the challenges faced by communities in the developing world, leading them to have greater empathy with their issues and circumstances.

As a result of a new partnership with VolTra, a registered non-profit organisation in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific is grateful that similar experiences are now available to more and more members of the Hong Kong public.

While Cathay ChangeMakers and World As One herald the beginning of the airline’s new community engagement strategy, more initiatives are being rolled up. For instance, Cathay Pacific is currently recruiting Form 3 to Form 6 students to join its 2019 I CAN FLY development programme. With its renewed focus, I CAN FLY will not only help towards students realising their aviation dreams but will also raise the youngsters’ awareness of the many challenges facing the Hong Kong community.

Mr Hogg concluded: “This is just the start of our new approach to community engagement and we are both excited and motivated by what’s being planned for the future. By collaborating with partners across different sectors, we can leverage what we do as an airline company – by connecting people and places, our business and NGO partners – to bring about benefit to society.”

About the Cathay Pacific Group

The Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Group offers scheduled passenger and cargo services to over 200 destinations in Asia, North America, Australia, Europe and Africa, using a fleet of nearly 200 wide-body aircraft. The company is a member of the Swire group and is a public company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The Group has made substantial investments to develop Hong Kong as one of the world's leading global transportation hubs. Cathay Pacific is a founder member of the oneworld global alliance.

For more information, please visit www.cathaypacific.com.

About Social Ventures Hong Kong (SVhk)

Founded in 2007, Social Ventures Hong Kong (SVhk) is a venture philanthropic organization that innovates social change by re-imagining the city. We focus on inventing, incubating and investing in social startups that address urban challenges in Hong Kong through sustainable and innovative business solutions. We currently have over 20 portfolio ventures, such as Green Monday, Diamond Cab, Light Be, Run Our City etc. Besides, we also work frequently with Corporate on Business 2.0 consultancy to provide support and motivate businesses to incorporate social mission into their strategy and operations, aiming to work with Corporate to find sustainable social impact solutions together via our expertise and network.

Website : sv-hk.org

About VolTra

VolTra founded in 2009 and is a registered charitable institution. VolTra has been dedicated to promote international voluntary services in Hong Kong. We strive to promote world peace and global citizenship by serving as a platform to connect international and local volunteers.

VolTra connects volunteers from all over the world with their “Exploration” mind to different volunteering projects, nurture their “Empathy” through the interaction with local people. Volunteers will end up being motivated and bringing back the “empowerment of change” in their mind. Together we can make changes to the community from the bottom with both global and local awareness and make the world better for all of us. For more information, please visit www.voltra.org.