Exclusive | Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo head quit weeks before ‘mega event’ starts
Heidi Chu quit in September for ‘personal reasons’, after the expo had been criticised by officials for its lack of community engagement
The executive director of the Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo (HKPAX) resigned just weeks before the HK$42 million (US$5.4 million) international “mega event”, organised by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (ADC) begins on October 14.
The Post has learned that veteran arts administrator Heidi Chu Ching-han, who was in charge of launching the new performing arts fair, quit for “personal reasons” in the second week of September.
Her unexpected departure left Winsome Chow Wai-sum, chief executive of the ADC, to take up the helm.
A person with knowledge of recent developments told the Post that officials from the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB), which oversees the ADC, had told Chu they were dissatisfied with the level of community engagement and awareness of the event.
George Tsoi Kin-pan, who this week was named the city’s sports commissioner after former windsurfer Sam Wong stepped down, was previously the principal assistant secretary at the bureau and involved in the preparations for HKPAX. His former post is currently vacant.
