Our Team
Vivek Mahbubani
Vivek Mahbubani is a Hong Kong-bred bilingual stand-up comedian performing in both Cantonese and English. Having been crowned the Funniest Person (in Cantonese) in Hong Kong in 2007 followed by his victory in the English category at the Hong Kong International Comedy Competition in 2008, Vivek has had the opportunity to take his comedy act all over the world including Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Australia, Canada and USA.
In 2018, he was one of the recipients of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons Selection in Hong Kong, an annual prize that started back in 1970 to showcase the city's outstanding next generation!
On top of making everyone laugh, Vivek uses his comedy to inspire youth to be proud of who they are and never shy from chasing their dreams.
Gabriella So
With worldwide stage and screen acting experience Gabriella So is a theatre in education practitioner with a keen focus on education and guidance. After graduating summa cum laude from UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in Los Angeles, California, Gabriella has held workshops at both Cornell University and Harvard Business School to foster more inclusive communities throughout the campuses.
The first educator to integrate English language learning through drama at Ocean Park, Gabriella is committed to research on pedagogy in early childhood education. A volunteer assisting SEN young-learners, she actively explores the transformative potential of drama.
James Gannaban
James Gannaban has lived through the darkness of alcohol and drug addiction. Exposed firsthand as to how excess and a permissive lifestyle are glorified in Hong Kong, he counts himself lucky that an overdose, stint in a jail cell, and an extended stretch in rehab finally led toward the light.
He has been sober since 2015 and has made it his life’s mission to share experience, strength and hope to individuals and their families going through addiction and recovery.
Rebuilding from rock bottom with better ingredients, he’s now a freelance writer, yoga teacher and marketer.
Andrew Jones
Emeritus Chairman
Founding Board Member Since 1991
Andrew is Founder and Guardian of Sanctuary Resorts, a Social Enterprise creating Responsible and Sustainable Tourism experiences where people can balance their Body, Mind and Spirit, in an environmentally friendly space. He has over 40 years of corporate and senior management experience in prestigious hotels, resorts, and management companies around the globe. Andrew was KELY’s first Hon. Treasurer, later becoming Chairman.
David Simpson
Chair of the Board
Board Member Since 2018
David first joined KELY Support Group in 1997 as an Outreach Worker and is now delighted and honoured to help out on The Board. During his time at KELY, David helped start up the KELY Circus School (now KELY Juggling Circle) and was a recipient of the Outstanding Anti-Drug Worker Award, awarded by the Action Committee Against Narcotics.
Currently, David is Co-Founder of Team Building Asia, providing experiential training and events to corporates in the Asia-Pacific Region.
Benita Chick
Vice Chair of the Board
Board Member Since 2022
CEO and Founder, Encompass HK
Benita is passionate about working with youth. She started her career at Outward Bound HK, then she worked in Youth Arch Foundation as a Program Director and later a Community Outreach Director at MWYO to formulate the first ever Youth Development Policy in HK.
She has been a strong believer in community outreach, and has mentored youth in RESOLVE Foundation, HKUST Headstart Program, and a former admission interviewer at Li Po Chun United World College. She is currently a Board Member of Youth Arch Foundation, Education Director at Pink Alliance and a part-time Lecturer at the University of Hong Kong. Benita founded Encompass HK in 2018 to realize her vocation for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through education and consultancy.
Andy Ng
Honorary Treasurer,
Board Member Since 2022
Trained and qualified at PriceWaterhouseCoopers as a qualified accountant, Andy proceeded his career in investment banking for 15 years working for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co., Deutsche Bank and Royal Bank of Scotland in regional management roles. He then moved on creating his own family business.
As an integral part of his plan to give back to the community, Andy dedicated himself in youth development, mentoring and career guidance for catholic parishes and HKUST students as a key community give-back plan.
Other public services includes Finance Committee member of Caritas Hong Kong and Honorary Treasurer for an elderly service centre in Upper Wong Tai Sin.
Whitney Whisenhunt
Honorary Secretary,
Board Member Since 2020
Whitney Whisenhunt is currently a consultant with Elevate Services where she provides corporate governance advisory services to help businesses with their corporate governance practices. Before joining Elevate Services, Whitney was with BNY Mellon where she served as the Head of Corporate Governance, APAC. In that role, she advised senior stakeholders, directors, and committee members on a wide range of legal, regulatory and governance issues and provided support to BNY Mellon’s legal entity Boards in the region. In 2017, Whitney was selected as a “Woman to Watch'' by The Women’s Foundation, 30% Club. She has also provided pro bono assistance to The Hong Kong Council of Social Service in connection with the preparation of suggested guidelines to be used by NGOs when preparing their corporate governance manuals. Whitney first joined KELY in 2019 as a volunteer with the Board’s Governance Committee.
Whitney holds a Juris Doctor in Law from Temple University School of Law. Prior to returning to the region in 2008, she was a commercial litigation with the US law firm Cozen O’Connor.
Debbie Mannas
Board Member Since 2022
With over 17 years in HR leadership positions across every HR discipline, Debbie is passionate about building and cultivating high performing, diverse and inclusive cultures through creating a vision, building and leading strong teams, working with stakeholders and designing and facilitating great employee development experiences to deliver business outcomes.
Her experiences with talent management and organization development has led her to appreciate individual differences and what it takes to ignite their potential. She is a steadfast advocate for empowering young people to speak up and pursue their dreams.
Understanding the challenges women face in the workplace, Debbie is particularly invested in helping young girls and women fulfill their potential. She was a mentor with the Women’s Foundation and is the Founder of the IMTAC (I’m More Than A Cover) magazine.
Debbie is a strong believer in living a whole and fulfilling life. In addition to her career, Debbie is also a mother, a poet, and a singer/songwriter with two solo albums and a number of singles available on all digital platforms.
Fern Ngai
Board Member Since 2007
Fern has served at the Board of KELY since 2007 and served as the Chair of the Board of KELY from March 2012 to March 2015.
Fern Ngai is a seasoned leader and changemaker with solid experience in both the non-profit and private sectors in Asia. Over her career, Fern has successfully led major change initiatives, and is sought after for her expertise and experience in responsible and strategic leadership, diversity and inclusion, talent development and cultural change.
Fern is the former Chief Executive Officer of Community Business, a Hong Kong based not-for-profit organisation dedicated to advancing responsible and inclusive business practices in Asia. Over 7.5 years as Community Business’ CEO, Fern oversaw the expansion of its products and services, establishment of its Indian subsidiary, and development of the ground-breaking LGBT+ Inclusion Index and annual Awards. In 2019, Fern was recognised by the Hong Kong LGBT+ Attorneys Network (HKGALA) with an award for ‘Excellence in Diversity, Inclusion & Equality’.
Originally from Canada, Fern has over 40 years of broad experience in financial services, technology, change management, and in workplace diversity and community programmes. She held executive roles in the human resources, technology and operations, governance, strategy, and corporate affairs functions at Standard Chartered Bank and was the bank’s first diversity and inclusion champion for Hong Kong. Fern volunteers as chair of the board of KELY Support Group, a Hong Kong charity dedicated to supporting young people, and is an advisor to several NGO’s which work on causes related to diversity and inclusion.
Michelle Ng
Board Member Since 2013
Michelle Ng is the Director of The Family Zone HK, an antenatal and postnatal service that provides classes for parents, home visits to help new families and care for the mother and newborn. She is passionate about educating as well as offering personalised and empowering support to families as they navigate their way through the early years.
Michelle is a UK qualified doctor, and studied Medicine and Psychology at The Royal Free and University College London Medical School. After active involvement in medical education as both an undergraduate and junior doctor, Michelle decided to turn her attention to educating the next generation. For the last decade, Michelle has also been a UK educational consultant and academic tutor specialising in boarding school, university and medical school entrance and is the co-director of Empire Education Ltd, a bespoke, British tutorial service in Hong Kong which was founded in 2014. In addition to this, she is a freelance lifestyle and medical journalism writer and a mentor on the UCL Students of Global Health Mentorship Scheme.
Paul Tchen
Board Member Since 2000
Paul is the Managing Director of SHK Management Limited.
He has over 25 years of corporate and senior hospitality management experience primarily with The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (owners and operators of The Peninsula Hotels) and The Hong Kong Jockey Club. He is a graduate of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and was named in 1999 as a Distinguished Alumnus of the Collins College of Hospitality Management. He was also awarded the “Young Hotelier of the World Award” in 1996 by the International Hotel Association and Hotels Magazine and is an Officier of the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne.
Aside from KELY, Paul is the Honorary Chair of Shanghai K Charitable Foundation and Chairs Sir Horace Kadoorie Youth Development Foundation in Hong Kong and in the United States, and Support! International Foundation in Hong Kong.
Timothy Woo
Board Member Since 2019
Timothy Woo is a Global Wellness Response Partner at Meta, addressing and intervening with mental health crises at Meta. He consistently collaborates globally among EAP providers to address pain points that require accountability to ensure more fluid services with different cross functional partners, and also contributes to several DEI initiatives at Meta.
Timothy has over 15 years of professional experience in working with adults and young people. Prior to his work at Meta, Timothy has worked with organisations such as the Canadian international School of Hong Kong as the Wellbeing Guidance Counsellor, the YMCA as a Youth Employment Officer, Grandview Children's Centre, an outpatient rehabilitation hospital for children with special needs as the adolescent Social Worker and therapist, World Vision Canada as a regional representative, and ISF Academy as a Senior Counsellor.
Timothy received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in social work from York University, and his doctoral degree from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. With a focus on family resilience and adolescent depression, Timothy is passionate about contributing to the field of mental health such that all people understand their inherent value and are able to see the potential impact that they have in the community and world around them.
Tony Bruno
Board Member Since 2019
Tony is Executive Vice President at Teledirect, a company providing business support services to multi-national companies operating in South East Asia, China, Korea and Japan. He oversees the company operations in North Asia. Prior to joining Teledirect, Tony established Asian operations for a well-known North American business services company and previously led PCCW’s business process outsourcing subsidiary, PCCW Teleservices.
Tony is a co-founder of the Weez Project, which aims to work with established charities in promoting mental health wellbeing in young people in Hong Kong. The Weez Project has worked with KELY and with Mind Hong Kong, primarily in fundraising and promotional activities.
Tony is a graduate of the University of Manchester, with a degree in Mathematics and Physics. He has lived in Hong Kong for 23 years.
Megan Lam
Executive Director
Megan was formerly the CEO of Neurum Health, and lead the company’s strategy in ensuring it achieved its vision of bringing behavioural health to life.
Prior to founding Neurum Health, Megan built a multidisciplinary team during her fellowship at Yale School of Medicine investigating digital data and interventions to promote health, and co-founded emeritus Psychiatry Technology Group. She has advised and consulted for organisations including the GIZ GmbH (Germany), Shared Value Initiative (Hong Kong), and One Mind at Work (USA). Megan obtained her Master of Research in Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology from University College London and Yale University School of Medicine.
Megan is also a KELY alumna, who took part in our peer support programme when she was a youth herself. As a Board Member, she sat on the Fundraising Committee, and is familiar with KELY’s programmes and fundraising strategies on multiple levels.
Godi Li
Deputy Director
Godi brings over 15 years of experience in resource development for both local and international NGOs. She possesses the International Advanced Diploma in Fundraising from the Chartered Institute of Fundraising in UK, complemented by a degree in statistics and a postgraduate degree in marketing. Her commitment extends beyond professional achievements; she is also a licensed playgroup tutor.
Prior to her current role, Godi led regional resource development at The Fred Hollows Foundation and played a key role in formulating holistic fundraising strategies and campaigns. Her dedication to community service is further demonstrated by her role as Vice-president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Hong Kong Chapter, and as a speaker at the International Fundraising Conference (IFC), Asia. Godi was also honored as the first Hong Kong Scholar to participate in the IFC in USA. Her dedication and profound expertise make her an invaluable asset in nonprofit management and community engagement.
Secretary
Weir and Associates
Legal Support
Deacons
Mayer Brown
Auditor
Prism
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