“I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist...Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.” —John Steinbeck

"I was lucky enough to have benefited from great teachers throughout my life. They awakened me to the joy in learning and opened my eyes to the world around me. The Named
Professorship is an excellent opportunity for me to give back and pay it forward by helping HKUST to attract and retain the best, brightest and most passionate to teach and mentor its students."

Dr Geoffrey Yeh was an engineer turned entrepreneur, public servant and philanthropist. He was educated in the United States and returned to Hong Kong after his studies to help his father run Hsin Chong, a construction company. Under his leadership, the company grew to become a leading construction and facilities management group in Hong Kong. Along the way, Dr Yeh made significant contributions to the construction sector by bringing various cost and time-saving innovations that are now commonplace in the industry.

Dr Yeh always remembered that he benefited greatly from the generosity of others. This fueled his lifelong commitment to give back to society, whether through public service or philanthropy. He served, among other positions, as Chairman of the Hong Kong Futures Exchange (now part of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange) and the Construction Industry Training Authority. After the Yeh family sold their controlling stakes in Hsin Chong Construction and Synergis Holdings Ltd, Dr Yeh continued to give back by establishing a family foundation, The Yeh Family Philanthropy (www.yehfp.com).

Synergis Management Services is a property and facilities management services provider founded in 1978 by Dr Yeh. The Yeh family sold its controlling stake in the company in 2008.