Advancing Hong Kong's Vision for a Resilient Future: A Q&A with Irene Or

A growing city, Hong Kong is a major international business, trade and financial hub in Asia. [1] Jacobs has a legacy of more than 50 years in Hong Kong, helping accelerate the city’s vision to create a lasting, positive legacy for generations to come. 

With our design, engineering, program management and consulting and advisory capabilities, we’re solving major problems the city is facing - from urbanization, climate change, logistics and digital proliferation to security, water scarcity and challenges around investment partnerships and mega infrastructure.

This series of Q&As introduces you to our visionaries helping realize Hong Kong’s sustainability and resilience goals. 

In this article, meet Irene Or, one of our technical directors, who discusses her journey and how we’re helping shape Hong Kong’s future.

Hi, Irene. Please tell us a bit about your background and your role. 

I’m a chartered engineer and a chartered geologist with over 20 years of industry experience. Currently, as a technical director at Jacobs, I work closely with diverse teams to promote the growth of our business. Along with leading the delivery of projects, I’m also responsible for supporting the operation of project controls and the growth strategy for our Hong Kong office.

I’m also the Deputy Chair of TogetherBeyond Council Asia. In this role, I work closely with our teams across Asia to shape an inclusive work culture where everyone can thrive, feel confident bringing their diverse voices and perspectives to the table and collaborate to ideate exceptional solutions to some of the toughest problems in our world.

Please expand on some of the key projects you're currently working on and how these projects are creating a better future for our clients and communities.

Landslides pose a major geotechnical hazard in Hong Kong. Therefore, a robust slope safety system was established in the 1970s to ensure public safety. While the risk of landslides has been greatly reduced, extreme events like torrential rainstorms and super typhoons are more frequent, making landslides a persistent threat to society.   

We play a critical role in advancing this objective of safeguarding public safety by supporting slope maintenance programs. As the project manager, I oversee the project where our team is responsible for programming, slopes inspections, assessing the slope conditions and recommending follow-up action. In addition, we propose solutions that can enhance sustainability, such as maximizing opportunities to green the cityscape. 

According to you, what are the top infrastructure-related opportunities in growing cities like Hong Kong, which could transform the way people live, work and play? 

Hong Kong, a densely populated city with a land area of ~1,115 square kilometers²[i]  (430 square miles) and a population of 7.5 million as of 2023, currently has only 25% of its land area developed (~260 square kilometers [100 square miles] ).  This has resulted in the biggest challenge faced by Hong Kong - land resources.

To tackle this pressing problem and to create more opportunities for growth, the Northern Metropolis Development project has been initiated. The project aims to develop the northern part of the Hong Kong territory spanning about 300 square kilometers (116 square miles), which is currently undeveloped, into a new economic center. This is expected to improve the connectivity and the quality of the living environment in Hong Kong, making it a sustainability development engine for the region. 

We’re especially proud to be involved in the 250-hectare land development within the Northern Metropolis for an international innovation and technology center, to support innovation and technology development, housing, community and commercial facilities.

Apart from the risks of landslides, Hong Kong is dealing with the impact of extreme weather events that pose a threat to the safety and wellbeing of its citizens. For instance, dealing with typhoons and heavy rainfall during summer is a major concern, impacting the infrastructure, drainage systems and coastal defense mechanisms. Along with this, Hong Kong is vulnerable to the effects of rising sea levels, posing potential flooding issues. Besides, the city’s aging infrastructure makes it difficult to cope with the demands of a rapidly evolving city.

Managing all these factors requires careful planning and management. At Jacobs, our cross-sector capability means we can help governments, businesses, and communities respond to these challenges and together create a sustainable and resilient future for our people and the planet. 

From a technical director’s lens, what are the top factors contributing to the success of projects? 

Successful projects to me mean, ensuring timely delivery and quality outcomes within budget. In addition, the project should add value to the client and create a sense of satisfaction and pride in the project team upon its successful delivery. 

For me, the key factors to project success include:

• Visionary leadership and teamwork: The leadership should have a clear direction and vision, working collaboratively with the clients and the project team while understanding the clients’ needs.
• Strong project governance framework: Good governance and discipline is crucial for strong delivery. 
• Technical excellence: A team with solid technical foundation in the subject matter, combined with foresight of ongoing development in the field is an important factor in project success. It’s also essential to have a broad understanding of the global challenges, including climate resilience, to develop effective solutions.
• An inclusive work culture: A diverse team can bring fresh ideas and inevitably look through different lenses to offer creative problem-solving strategies, which are essential for realizing project outcomes. At Jacobs, our work culture fosters inclusivity, celebrates diverse perspectives, and prioritizes respectful communication. This creates an ideal environment for our teams to bring their unique points of view together, collaborate to bring a project's vision to life and overcome even the toughest challenges through teamwork.

Can you expand on how, in your role, you’re helping create a more connected, sustainable future for our clients and communities?

Sustainability has been a cornerstone throughout my career journey, and I believe we can make an impact, no matter how big or small. 

In my role, I consciously incorporate sustainability into project delivery. For example, we consider the carbon footprint, social impact and life-cycle of the end products at the early stages of design.  This approach helps us to ensure that our designs deliver the required outcomes, are resilient, environmentally-friendly and sustainable, as well as address future challenges for generations to come.  

In addition, I participate in raising awareness of sustainability and promote behavioral changes that minimize plastic use. For instance, I recently championed the Plastic Free July campaign in our local Hong Kong office. Plastic Free July is an initiative that began in Western Australia with a small group of participants. Today, it has grown into a multi-national campaign with millions of participants worldwide. 

As part of our approach to sustainability, PlanBeyond™ which aims to plan beyond today for a more sustainable future for everyone, we proudly endorsed and participated in Plastic Free July in our workplace. The campaign helped make our people more aware of the plastics we use on a day-to-day basis and drive behavior change to make smarter purchasing decisions.

What do you enjoy most about being part of #OurJacobs?

I treasure the opportunity to gain experience in diverse areas and learn new things at different stages of my career journey. I embrace Jacobs’ values at work and I’m comfortable bringing my own self to work.