Hong Kong-born HY William Chan is an urbanist and designer dedicated to creating resilient and inclusive places for people. A UNICEF Young Ambassador during the 25th anniversary of the Convention of the Rights of the Child, William has led community-building projects for the homeless, slum dwellers and refugee youth. He is named in the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 list as a game-changing business and industry leader in the Asia-Pacific region.
William’s architecture and design solutions have been showcased across 40 cities, most notably at the Venice and Rotterdam Biennales, Oslo and Milan Triennales, New York Center for Architecture, UN World Urban Forum and Sydney Design Festival. He co-authored the UN-Habitat World Urban Youth Declaration and represented global leaders in launching the UN Youth 2030 Strategy at the 2018 General Assembly in New York.
William is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, Fellow with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and Research Affiliate with the Center for Sustainable Urban Development at Columbia University’s Earth Institute.
A Convocation and University Medallist of the University of Sydney, William has been recognised with an Australian Achievement in Architecture Award for the advancement of the built environment. He has been named one of Australia’s top 100 Brightest Young Minds and an inaugural Australian Government ‘Creative Young Star’.
