HONG KONG — Before a distinguished group of more than 300 social and political leaders gathered in Hong Kong Baptist University’s Academic Community Hall, Michael Lee, CEO of Publicis Communications Greater China, became the first creative industry leader to be honored with the Nobel Laureates Honorary Fellowship & Asian Chinese Leadership Award. The award was created by the Asian College of Knowledge Management to recognize Asian leaders who have made outstanding contributions to social, economic and cultural development.
According to the award jury, which comprised great minds from the worlds of politics, business and academia, “Michael Lee, CEO of Publicis Communications Greater China, is one of the leading figures in China’s advertising industry. Owing to his outstanding contributions, distinguished leadership and selfless sharing of his experiences in advertising, the jury has chosen to honor Michael Lee with the Asian Chinese Leadership Award.” The award was presented by Prof. Shuji Nakamura, the 2014 winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics.
One of China’s earliest advertising pioneers, Michael has made impactful contributions to the advertising industry for the past 28 years. Born in Hong Kong and educated in Australia, Michael started his advertising career in Hong Kong in 1989. From there, he quickly rose through the ranks to become General Manager of DMB&B Beijing at 29 years of age. For the following decade, Michael played a key role in building Ogilvy’s leadership position in Shanghai and Greater China. He joined Saatchi & Saatchi in 2011 and has since led the agency to achieve a long series of business successes, including nine ‘Creative Agency of the Year’ awards in the Greater China region over the past four years. Michael also won the ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Advertising Industry in China Award’ at the 43rd International Advertising Association (IAA) World Congress in 2014, becoming the first and only Chinese professional to win this individual achievement award. In 2015, he also became the first adman to be named by JMEN, a popular Hong Kong lifestyle & fashion magazine, in its ‘Men of the Year’ list. In 2016, Michael was promoted to CEO of Publicis Communications, Greater China.
Reflecting on the award’s significance, Michael said: “I am truly honored to have been awarded the distinguished Nobel Laureates Honorary Fellowship & Asian Chinese Leadership Award. It is a recognition of more than just my own individual accomplishments: it reflects the increased attention being paid to advertising and the importance of the advertising industry’s role in society.”
About ACKM: Established in 2001, Asian College of Knowledge Management is the first professional institution in the world to develop a series of knowledge management certification standards, and promote the sustainable development, dissemination and application of knowledge management principles, models and technologies in Asia. ACKM builds partnerships with universities, enterprises and world organizations to speed up the pace of knowledge transfer, which becomes the knowledge base for Asian enterprises to bring significant benefit
