Events

ORKTS is thrilled to launch the Translating Research into Real-World Impact: Impact Measurement and Management (IMM) Learning Series. This programme connects research, teaching, and community engagement to the world’s most urgent social and environmental challenges, empowering CUHK members with practical tools to measure and manage project impact. By exploring IMM and key frameworks such as the UNDP Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Impact Standards, participants will enhance their proficiency, elevate impact evidence for Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) submissions, and foster sustainable social impact.

To kick-off the learning series, the Why Real-World Impact Matters: IMM Introductory Webinar will be hosted on 12 May 2025. Through the webinar, During the session, participants will explore the importance of creating impact in academic careers, and discover how the UN SDGs provide a shared language for turning scholarship into positive change. Prof Catherine So from the Department of Educational Psychology will discuss the significance of impact-driven research for CUHK academics. Meanwhile, Ms Natalie Chan and Mr James Chan, co-founders of PIE Strategy Limited and accredited trainers of UNDP SDG Impact Standards, will offer an overview of the SDG Impact Standards and show how universities can connect research, teaching and community engagement to the world’s most urgent social and environmental challenges. Leave inspired, with a clear understanding of impact essentials for the deeper dive ahead.

Details
Date: 12 May 2025 (Monday)
Time: 3:30 – 5:00 pm
Mode: Zoom
Medium: English
Registration: https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=13707989*

*Successful registrants will receive an email notification on or before 9 May to confirm their registration.

Speakers

Prof Catherine SO
Professor, Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education
Founder and Director, Science and Technology for Austism Remediation (STAR) Limited

Prof Catherine So is the founder and director of NGO Science and Technology for Autism Remediation (STAR Limited) which provides robot-based intervention, namely Robot for Autism Behavioural intervention (RABI®), for autistic children aged 3 to 18. RABI® has received both local and international awards. She is also a professor in the Faculty of Education at the Chinese University of Hong Kong where she has been a faculty member since 2012. She is elected by the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) as the Global Senior Leader, the only representative in Hong Kong.

Ms Nataile CHAN
Managing Director, PIE Strategy Limited

A sustainability strategist, Natalie has two decades of hands-on experience turning ESG intent into measurable impact across Asia-Pacific. After establishing the corporate sustainability functions at Swire Pacific and The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, she founded PIE Strategy—an award-winning B Corporation®—to help organisations embed environmental, social and governance priorities into strategy, operations and product design, fueling resilience and sustainable growth. Natalie is a UNDP-validated international expert in Impact Measurement & Management (IMM) and an accredited SDG Impact Standards trainer. She sits on boards and policy committees that shape the region’s sustainability agenda. Natalie holds an Executive MBA from INSEAD–Tsinghua and a master’s in Corporate Environmental Governance from the University of Hong Kong. 

Mr James CHAN
Co-founder and Senior Consultant, Sustainable Transformation,PIE Strategy Limited

With more than a decade steering sustainability and ESG agendas across Asia-Pacific, James converts complex sustainability challenges into board-room action, charting clear pathways for growth and resilience. A co-founder of PIE Strategy—an award-winning B Corporation®—he helps Fortune 500 companies, investors and public bodies weave ESG and social-innovation thinking into core strategy, governance and product portfolios. A UNDP-accredited SDG Impact Standards trainer and certified Sustainability & Climate Risk (SCR®) professional, his work spans double materiality, ESG strategy and goal-setting, and impact measurement and the design of impact-management systems that turn data into better decisions. James holds a BA in Politics and Public Administration from the University of Hong Kong.