Keynote Speakers

David Begbie
Crossroads International HK

David James Begbie (DJ) is the director of the Global Village Life X-perience programme at charity organization Crossroads International, and a spokesman for both Crossroads International and Global Hand. Armed with a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Regent University in the US, David wants to be a ‘voice for the voiceless’ – to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

His vision is well expressed through the Global Village Life X-perience programme, Crossroads International’s latest development. The experiential education programme directed by David, in which participants experience the lives of the less fortunate, was started as a result of the 10th anniversary of Crossroads International, when a small group of Hong Kong executives were invited to live in simulated slum conditions for 24 hours. More than 12,000 people from the corporate, educational and social sectors have participated since the programme  inception in 2005.

David has been a full time volunteer for Crossroads International and Global Hand, two sister charities based in Hong Kong. The duty of Crossroads International is to redistribute surplus goods received from the Hong Kong community to over 500 charities both within Hong Kong and in more than 50 nations in the world for free; while Global Hand, a web-based platform, matches corporate surplus with people in dire need in order to facilitate public-private partnerships. It has built applications for the World Economic Forum and Rotary International and is currently developing applications for other NGOs and INGOs.

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Chung To
Chi Heng Foundation (CHF) HK

Chung To is the Founder and Chairman of Chi Heng Foundation (CHF), a charity registered and based in Hong Kong. During the past four years, CHF has been actively working on AIDS prevention and care in China. Under the AIDS Orphan Project, CHF is helping over 3500 students whose parents have died of or are dying of AIDS in Central China by paying for their education and providing many care services.

Chung was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to the United States as a teenager. He received a bachelor's degree at Columbia University and a master's degree at Harvard University. Chung worked in investment banking for 10 years with several European and US banks in New York and Hong Kong. While working as a banker in Hong Kong, Chung founded Chi Heng Foundation with a few like-minded individuals and began working on AIDS education and prevention projects in China on a part time basis. In 2002, after realizing the seriousness and urgency of the AIDS problems in China, Chung decided to put his banking career on hold and began devoting his full attention to AIDS work in China on a pro bono basis.

From 1999 to 2003, Chung was a board member of AIDS Concern, was acting as Chairman of the Board in 2003. Since 1999, he has been a member of the AIDS Prevention and Care Committee (APCC) appointed by the Hong Kong Government. Chung has also been Vice President of the Harvard Club of Hong Kong and is a member of MENSA.

Chung has received many awards for his work in AIDS related issues. In 2003, he received the "Ten Outstanding Young Persons" award from the Junior Chamber International Hong Kong. He was featured by Ming Pao and the Red Ribbon Centre as one of the "Ten Most Inspiring Persons - AIDS in Hong Kong for 20 years", and named one of the "Ten Greatest Anti-AIDS Heroes in China" by the Southern People Weekly in 2004. Chung received the "Centennial Service Award for Professional Excellence" from the Rotary Club District 3450, and was named as one of the "Ten Outstanding Young Leaders of the Era" by Southern People Weekly and CCTV Channel 10 People Program in 2005. Mr To is awarded by Junior Chamber International (JCI) as one of the Outstanding Young Persons of the World for 2006.

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Jo Ruxton
Media Dive Crews UK

Joanne is an underwater documentary and wildlife Director, Producer and Cameraman for the BBC.She studied Zoology at London University and moved to Hong Kong in the 80's. She joined the World Wildlife Fund Hong Kong in 1990 to establish their Marine Conservation Programme; a significant task in a place that had no legislation to protect the coastal waters and where massive development was taking place before the handover to China. After four Marine Protected Areas had been set up, she left Hong Kong and was a key member of the BBC’s highly regarded National History Unit diving team for many years and joined the Blue Planet team in 1997. Since that time she has beeninvolved in numerous underwater film projects.

Joanne is now part of the Project Kaisei team and will take a crew on board an expedition to explore The Plastic Vortex which is an area of the Pacific Ocean  containing millions of tons of floating plastic waste. No one knows how large it is, but some estimates put it as wide as Texas or nearly 4 times as large as Japan. It is in an area northeast of Hawaii, and approximately five days by boat from Hawaii or from San Francisco
Because of its molecular structure, plastic does not biodegrade and rot away. It is also toxic and is killing vast quantities of marine life.

Project Kaisei has been set up to study how to capture, detoxify and recycle plastic waste into diesel fuel. They are embarking on a research mission to the largest area of the Plastic Vortex to try and understand the logistics needed in a clean-up operation. They will undertake a 70 day expedition to:

• Study and document the mass of plastic in the ocean
• Test catch methods for removing the plastic particles
• Understand the needs required to undertake an eventual large scale clean-up of the waste material
• Test technology for conversion into an economically viable by-product: diesel fuel.

They will also produce a documentary for National Geographic. You can find out more on the Project Kaisei website.

"At worst this could create massive publicity about the dangers of our use of plastics …so often with conservation stories, what you are telling people is the bad news but this is different. This time, there could be a solution."

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Spencer West
Me to We

Inspirational and charismatic, Spencer West will speak candidly about the struggles he has overcome after losing his legs at the age of five, and how he never lost the hope or courage he needed to overcome personal obstacles. Filled with both humour and humility, his thought-provoking message will inspire students to find opportunity in every challenge. With every speech, Spencer leaves an indelible mark on his audiences, instilling hope and strong leadership so that they can inspire others to create positive change.

In 2008, Spencer travelled to Kenya on an international volunteer trip where he helped build a school in a rural community in the Maasai Mara. On this trip, he met young people who strive to overcome challenges every day. He credits this experience for helping him recognize his true calling—to motivate and inspire people around the world.

Since he began speaking, Spencer has reached over 20,000 students with his encouraging words. He captivated audiences of thousands at Me to We Day events with his keynote address, one of which was featured nationally on CTV and viewed by 1.8 million people.

While on the Go Global speaking tour, Spencer helped young people overcome daily challenges, offering concrete actions to find personal strength and believe in themselves as active change-makers. His words have encouraged thousands of young people to become more socially involved in their communities and around the world.