Hong Kong member awarded Honorary Fellowship

Justina comes from a family of engineers, so she had a pretty good idea of what engineering involved, even from a young age. Although she developed a passion for computer engineering while at school in Canada, at that time computing was not yet a mature subject on the curriculum, so she largely had to teach herself and wait until university for proper training.

That experience gave her a very strong motivation for self-learning outside of the school curriculum – a skill that has since served her well in higher education and industry. She went on to amass an impressively broad collection of degrees, including a BMath in Computer Science and Information Systems, a Bachelor of Laws, and an MSc in Engineering Business Management.

After completing training at IBM Canada, she worked for the Hong Kong Productivity Council as a software engineer. She then went onto join the family business, where she focused on engineering and construction projects.

Justina now owns several companies, including an engineering consultancy firm, an IT consultancy firm and a talent cultivation organisation. She was also Executive Director of Hong Kong’s Institute of Big Data Governance until 2021.

All while building her career, Justina has been heavily involved with the IET. She has been part of the Hong Kong Local Network (HKLN), where she was the first volunteer to introduce the idea of STEM to the network, and the Hong Kong education community – even before the local government decided to promote it. She restructured the local IET programs for young engineers to support the STEM concept and established the HKLN STEM Task Force and local STEM initiatives, such as the Hong Kong STEM Ambassador Programme, and STEM 4 Girls Mentorship Programme. The IET has become well-recognised in the local government and STEM community in Hong Kong as a result. She was also Chair of the network where she worked with colleagues to develop and deliver a series of IET 150 celebratory events in 2021.

A strong advocate of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the local industry, Justina helped the IET Young Woman Engineer (YWE) Award to launch in Hong Kong for the first time in 2019. Together with the STEM 4 Girls Program and the Women In Science and Engineering (WISE) Training Program, the Hong Kong YWE created an ecosystem for women to develop their talents in technology and contribute to the next generation.

She’s also been a member of our Council and served on the Volunteer Engagement Board and the Knowledge Services and Solutions Board. Her phenomenal impact earned her the 2022 IET Achievement Medal, which she accepted on behalf of the Hong Kong LN.

To mark Justina’s latest accolade of Honorary Fellowship, a celebration event was hosted on Friday 10 January 2025 with IET President Warren East and IET Chief Executive & Secretary Ed Almond in attendance.  

On receiving this, Justina said: “Being a role model that inspires the next generation was never intentional. My work in STEM started off just having fun with children – and by the end of each day they would say they wish to become an engineer just like us. Nothing is more encouraging than this.

“Similarly for my works in EDI.  It simply felt right to encourage girls to believe in themselves and welcome them to the exciting world of engineering. The IET is the perfect platform to turn these visions into reality.

“Starting out from just having fun, I'd unknowingly inspired generations who will become the role models of the future generations. Together as engineers, we are in fact changing the world. This award comes at a time to remind myself that I should never lose faith in myself or the dreams that I believe in.”