24th April 2026 – (Hong Kong) City University of Hong Kong has announced the resignation of its president, Professor Freddy Boey Yin-chiang, less than three years after he took up the post, citing personal reasons.
In a statement issued today, the university said Professor Boey had tendered his resignation to the governing council. The council’s executive committee has appointed Provost and Senior Vice-President Professor Lee Chun-sing as acting president with immediate effect to ensure continuity in the institution’s operations. A global search for a permanent successor will commence shortly.
The council expressed gratitude for Professor Boey’s contributions during his tenure, noting his efforts in advancing the university’s development. It added that full support would be given to the leadership team to maintain stability throughout the transition period.
Before assuming the presidency at CityU, Professor Boey served as Deputy President (Innovation and Enterprise) at the National University of Singapore from January 2018 to December 2022. He was previously Provost of Nanyang Technological University between 2011 and 2017, and earlier chaired its School of Materials Science and Engineering.
During his leadership of the materials science school, which was established in 2000, the faculty rose rapidly in global rankings. By 2016 it was placed sixth in the QS World University Rankings by subject and second in the US News & World Report global subject rankings for materials science. The school has since maintained a position among the world’s top three in the discipline and earned recognition for translating research into commercially viable technologies.
Professor Lee now assumes the acting presidency as the university begins the process of identifying its next leader.