Bob Christian Alum of the Year Award: Liz Liang '04

We are thrilled to announce that Liz Liang ‘04 has been named the HKIS Alum of the Year! She is recognized for her exceptional achievements both professionally and in the community.

As Board Chair of the Hong Kong Chapter Alumni Association, Liz has fostered connections among alumni and created opportunities for support. She organized Career Workshops, the first alumni prom, and the recent "Reconnect with Leadership" event, where alumni heard updates from school leadership.

Professionally, Liz serves as a Senior Director at the global investment firm TPG, leading communications and branding in the Asia-Pacific region. With over 15 years of experience, she has held senior roles at Airwallex and Brunswick Group, focusing on strategic communications for global growth.

A dedicated mother of two, Liz enjoys traveling with her family and is on a mission to perfect the chocolate chip cookie. Her leadership and community spirit make her a deserving recipient of the 2025 Bob Christian Alumna of the Year award.

Firstly, thank you for this recognition. Thank you to Ron Roukema (HKIS Head of School), to the selection committee and to the HKIS Hong Kong Chapter Alumni Board–a special group of alums who I get to work alongside, who also volunteer much of their time to support the HKIS Alumni Community, and who are just as deserving to be here tonight.

I was an HKIS lifer and still consider myself to be an HKIS lifer. I had the privilege of being at this school, starting from kindergarten all the way to grade 12. And in those formative years, I learned many important life lessons. This school also happens to be where I met some of the most important people that shaped my life, including my husband, whom I met in second grade when we were 8, which is actually, around the same age that my daughter is now…!

I also met lifelong friends here, who despite many being halfway across the world today, remain my closest confidants. These are people who raged through the college years with me, who I leaned on through the many twists and turns as we built our careers and navigated through the forever lessons of being a parent, and really just learning to juggle life in every possible way.

I also remember the many teachers and faculty who taught me and guided me to become who I am today. And it wasn’t just the academics, but all the other things that came with it. Teaching us the true meaning of giving back, to be resilient, to be curious, and to be a global citizen, are some of the key values I learned very early on at HKIS.

And for me, the idea of giving back was the overarching value I carried forward with me on top of everything else. We’ve all benefited from the kindness, support and generosity of others. Whether it was a mentor or teacher who believed in us, a friend who stood by us through challenging times, or even a stranger who offered a helping hand. Imagine the ripple effect if we all continue to pay it forward, and the impact each of us can make.

In college, it was these values that encouraged me to offer my time to support others. I volunteered at a non-profit in New York, providing low-income public-school children with additional educational and family support services. I spent weekends tutoring and spending time with young children who needed additional academic and emotional support. These kids would casually talk about coming home to an empty house and not seeing their parents for days; they talked about feeling left behind in school because they didn’t feel like they fit in; and some even talked about violence at home and feeling helpless. Seeing these young children talk about their lives, and to be so resilient through it all, just makes you appreciate the privilege we were all given, and the importance to use that privilege to help others who are just as deserving.

Separately in my career, I knew from the start that I thrived in a community environment. I pursued companies that placed value on collaboration, passion and were driven by a common vision to drive impact. I continue to take pride in working for companies that share the same values as me. This working environment also encouraged me to give back–whether it was mentoring colleagues, organizing volunteer days or just connecting colleagues with other colleagues–it became a passion of mine and something I honestly, have a lot of fun doing.

And then about 10 years ago, I was invited to be part of a relatively, newly established volunteer group of alums who were driven to bridge the gap between the school and the HKIS Alumni community–a group of about 8 of us formed the first HKIS HK Chapter Alumni Board. Today in Hong Kong, we have grown our Hong Kong Alumni community to more than 250 active alumni, spanning across the decades.

And staying true to HKIS’ values and mission, we’ve continued to arrange events and activities that aim to demonstrate the depth and breadth of the alumni network, to bring the alumni community closer, and to also provide you–the current students and HKIS community, with access to an extended network that can support you beyond your years at the school.

From happy hour socials, to career days, mentoring and internships, to beach clean-ups, golf tournaments, to hosting our first alumni prom last year, we continue to find ways to connect the HKIS community every which way we can, and create opportunities for alumni to reconnect and support each other.

If anything, I hope what I have shared with you all this evening shows how HKIS has profoundly shaped my life, in ways that I am immensely grateful for. And as all of you move forward with your life journey, know that you are not alone–find your community, your purpose, and stick by your values.

On that note, thank you once again for the recognition and for having me here tonight. A huge congratulations to all the Dragon Spotlight Award winners for your accomplishments and successes. And we look forward to welcoming the class of 2025 and future HKIS graduate classes to the HKIS alumni community!