18th September 2024 – (Hong Kong) Nearly three decades after initiating a scholarship program to fund the education of China’s brightest students abroad, Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist William Louey’s vision continues to influence new generations. As the 2024-25 academic year commences, the William SD Louey Educational Foundation celebrates its enduring impact on global education and philanthropy.
Founded in 1995, the foundation was inspired by Louey’s grandfather, the pioneer behind the Kowloon Motor Bus Company. It was established with a unique stipulation for its scholars: repay the generosity not by reimbursing the foundation, but by paying it forward to the community.
The foundation’s alumni have not only excelled academically but have also embraced Louey’s ethos of giving back. Qi Yan, a beneficiary of the foundation’s first scholarships and a Cambridge mathematics graduate, currently works at Guggenheim Partners in the U.S. He reflects on the transformative opportunities provided by the foundation, emphasizing the lack of exposure and choices in his formative years which the scholarship helped overcome.
Albert Lei Shen, another scholar, pursued engineering at Oxford University through the foundation’s support. Post-graduation, Shen embarked on a career at top financial institutions including JP Morgan and BNP Paribas, and now dedicates part of his time to guiding other Chinese students in the UK through his educational consultancy.
Inspired by Louey’s philosophy, Shen and other former scholars established The Pay It Forward scholarship in 2015. This initiative aims to extend similar educational opportunities to underprivileged Chinese students, demonstrating the multiplier effect of Louey’s original philanthropic investment.
Anna Jin Xiang Zhao, a 1997 scholar who studied engineering at Cambridge, has also followed in Louey’s philanthropic footsteps. She founded the Wang Family Foundation, which supports students from mainland China and Hong Kong in their aspirations to study at Oxford University.
Shield Dun Xiao, another remarkable alumnus, met Louey as a teenager and later pursued studies at Cambridge and MIT. Inspired by Louey’s commitment, Xiao founded the Sea Star Children’s Foundation, which assists underprivileged children with congenital heart diseases in mainland China. Xiao’s journey from a scholarship recipient to a technology entrepreneur and philanthropist underscores the profound, lasting influence of the foundation.
As he approaches the third decade of his philanthropic journey, Louey continues to focus on post-graduate education, believing in the high impact of investing deeply in a select group of scholars. Now 65, Louey cherishes the extended family his foundation has created, attending graduations, weddings, and even celebrating the births of scholars’ children.
