We wanted to celebrate arts and culture in its varied Conclusion forms this year, and worked closely with long-term partner Art Basel, as well as the Victoria & Albert Museum, We continue to experience significant challenges to our on a special roving exhibition around our Hong Kong and business as COVID-19 develops, particularly in the retail Chinese Mainland malls. and hospitality sectors. However, we have gained ground in all areas of our business, and our financial strength has We also commissioned a 50th Anniversary Art NFT ensured that we can continue to develop our existing Collection, working with 10 international artists on a portfolios over the long term while investing in new series inspired by our “Originality” theme, which will be opportunities. available later this year as free art drops. We are very proud to mark 50 years of creating We recognise the importance of supporting younger transformational places, and we are grateful for the generations. As part of our anniversary celebrations, support that we have received from our shareholders, we joined with the Hong Kong Palace Museum to our business partners and the community at large. We sponsor the two-year Bi-city Youth Cultural Leadership were also honoured to be recognised by Randstad again Programme. The programme will enable young people in this year, who named Swire Properties as the most Hong Kong and Beijing to connect and exchange cultural attractive company to work for in Hong Kong in 2022. ideas and innovative thinking, with the purpose of nurturing a new generation of exceptional leaders. Our biggest source of pride is our people, who have weathered the storm over recent years. They are our We also launched the 2022 edition of the Swire Properties biggest asset and I thank them for their dedication and Placemaking Academy, where a team of students is again commitment over the past 50 years. participating in a six-month apprenticeship to make our White Christmas Street Fair a more sustainable event for the wider community. Our previous Academy alumni have already gone on to win awards, and we expect this next cohort to benefit greatly from our masterclasses and mentorship over the next six months. We are very proud to continue our wide-ranging Tim Blackburn volunteer work under our community ambassador Chief Executive programme. A new community space called “Quarryside” Hong Kong, 11th August 2022 on the Quarry Bay harbourfront area is on track to open in early 2023, and we are providing consultancy support for the design, construction and operational stages. The project is managed by St. James’ Settlement with sponsorship of HK$15 million from Swire Trust. Once completed, Quarryside will be an exciting new venue for activities and events, which we envision will create closer community ties within our home district. 15
2022 Interim Report Page 16 Page 18