Hailey Chan

Hailey Chan is a former global news journalist and international trade adviser from Hong Kong. After graduating with a degree in journalism and communications in 2018, she began my career at Ming Pao, a leading Chinese-language newspaper in Hong Kong. She covered political and socio-economic issues across the Asia-Pacific region and the US, interviewing diverse voices—from Thai student leaders in the 2020 protests to Myanmar pro-democracy groups following the 2021 coup. One of her feature stories—on the decades-long struggle of Afghan women under shifting regimes following the fall of Kabul—earned an Honorable Mention at the Society of Publishers in Asia Awards (SOPA) for Excellence in Reporting on Women’s Issues.
In 2022, driven by a desire to explore international affairs and business-government relations, she joined the British Consulate-General in Hong Kong under the UK’s Department for Business and Trade. Within a year, she was promoted to Head of Experience Economy, leading efforts to strengthen UK-Hong Kong trade ties in the creative sector—a key element of the UK’s soft power strategy amid growing tensions with China. My role involves advising British businesses on market opportunities, leading trade missions, and contributed to ministerial visit programs from a cultural perspective.
Looking ahead, Hailey aims to specialise in development and security issues in the Asia-Pacific, with a focus on improving market access for developing economies, enhancing participation in global value chains, and ensuring that trade delivers tangible benefits to those most in need.