Melo Fellowship 2025

CO-creation
Joint discovery
How to join

17

Co-creation projects created

60

Fellows

40

CEOs of leading organizations

32

Unique exchanges of new generation & CEOs

What is Melo Fellowship?

Melo Fellowship is our flagship program - an intense, rewarding 6-month fellowship where Melo Fellows will work closely with leading CEOs and social leaders for the betterment of our society.  

10 CEOs and social leaders, working with 20 Melo Fellows, on 5 themes, for Hong Kong.

Being selected as a Melo Fellow is one of the highest recognitions for a university student. It is widely seen as one of the most prestigious and rigorous programs of its kind available for university students based in Hong Kong.

We have had three classes of our Fellowship - Class of 2021, Class of 2022 and Class of 2023. Starting from 2025, we will have one fellowship class every two years. 

Co-Creation

20 Melo Fellows will be divided into 5 teams of 4. Each team will be paired with two leading CEOs / social leaders.
Each will work towards a proposal on delivering the most impact on their respective theme for Hong Kong society from Feb to June 2025.  
One of the leading region VC firms and its managing partner will seed one or more of their proposed programs for implementation.
View Past Projects

5

Major Themes for
Fellows and CEOs to Co-Create in 2025

Theme 1 - Journalism and storytelling

Supported by CEO of one of the largest news organizations and one of the leading influencers in the region

Theme 2 - Arts, culture and our society

Supported by CEO of one of the largest performing arts organizations and a senior board member of one of the largest museums in the world

Theme 3 - Large conglomerates and their impact on our community

Supported by CEO/chairperson of one of the largest banks in the world and Managing Director of one of the largest HK conglomerates

Theme 4 - Mental well-being and performance mindset

Supported by a former Olympian and CEO of one of the largest health and well being organizations in the region

Theme 5 - KOLs, influencers and their evolving roles on the society

Supported by two major influencers in the region (former leading government official and one of the most recognized YouTubers in the region)

Joint Discovery

From February to June, events for the entire fellowship will be organised where Melo Fellows will experience and learn from leaders of our society on a few key themes, in the most intimate and engaging way.
View Past JDs

2025 Joint Discovery Events Include...

Feb

Hong Kong as a financial hub

What is driving it and how to sustain it - private session with one of the most well known regulator and financial service leaders in Hong Kong

Mar

Global brands in Hong Kong and their secret recipes

Visits to one of the most sought after global brands in Hong Kong and time with their CEOs

Apr

Hospitality, travel and tourism industries

Session with CEOs of leading hotels, airline or tourism platforms

Feb-Apr

Leadership and influence MeloClass series

3 sessions during February, March and April (Second Wednesday evening) - structured learning on the topics of leadership and influence with 3 to 4 leading thinkers

and more to come...

Your Journey as a 2025 Melo Fellow

Jan

Kick-off your Melo journey

Meet your fellows, CEOs and social leaders, and get to know their expectations for the projects!

Feb-May

Engage in Co-Creation projects & Joint Discovery events

Fellows are expected to work on the Co-Creation project for about 4-5 hours per week with their assigned CEO / social leader.  Timing is flexible based on the scheduling of their team.  Join one Joint Discovery event per month from February to June (a total of 4-5) that usually happen on the first Saturday of the month.

June

Celebrate your journey at Graduation

Co-Creation project sharing, insightful discussions and fireside chats with industry leaders to mark the end of your 6-month co-creation journey at Graduation.

After June

Continue with your projects

If your proposed program is selected and seeded, you will have the opportunity to further enhance its impact through implementing your project.
One-of-a-kind journey of learning and mindset growth
Fellows will learn hard and soft skills and have direct exposure to leading CEOs, social leaders and thought leaders. The Fellowship includes project-based learning as well as group-based interactive learning.  
Melo Scholarship
Two Fellows will be selected and be awarded the SHKP x Melo Scholarship, which will cover the full tuition fee of the remaining years of undergraduate studies of the awardee.

Our Selection Process for Melo Fellows

Who can join?

Who can apply?

Any full-time university undergraduates from these six universities can apply - HKBU, CityU, CUHK, HKU, HKUST, PolyU. We will select 20 Melo Fellows from this pool of applicants.  Our selection criteria is simple - we are looking for high calibre students with a passion and track record of leadership and impact on the society. We look for authentic stories and real passion.

What is the expectation on the select Melo fellows?

The program will kick off at the end of January 2025 and end with a graduation in June 2025. The Fellowship has two main components - Co-Creation and Joint Discovery.


In Co-Creation, 20 Melo Fellows will be divided into 5 teams of 4.  Each team will be paired with two leading CEOs / social leaders. Each will work towards a proposal on delivering the most impact on their topic for Hong Kong society. One of the leading region VC firms and its managing partner will seed one or more of their proposed programs for implementation.


In Joint Discovery, these are events for the entire fellowship where Melo Fellows will experience and learn from leaders of our society on a few key themes, in the most intimate and engaging way.


In terms of time commitment, each Fellow will be asked to:

  • Join one Joint Discovery event per month from February to June (a total four to five joint discovery events) that usually happens on the first Saturday of the month
  • Work on the Co-Creation project for about 4-5 hours per week with their assigned CEO / social leader.  Timing is flexible based on the scheduling of their team
  • Join the final graduation event and competition that will happen in June

What will Melo Fellows get from the Melo Fellowship program?

Melo Fellows will go through a one-of-a-kind journey of learning and mindset growth. They will learn hard and soft skills and have direct exposure to leading CEOs, social leaders and thought leaders.  The Fellowship includes project based learning as well as group-based interactive learning.  

For the first time ever, two Fellows will be selected and be awarded the SHKP x Melo Scholarship, which will cover the full tuition fee of the remaining years of undergraduate studies of the awardee.

How can I apply?

1. Background details
Your name, mobile number, email contact and university degree details.

2. Choose a topic

Choose from one of the five themes we listed as your preferred topic of interest or you can write to us what one other topic you are interested in.

3. Tell us your story

Share why you want to join this program and why you are passionate about the topic you choose in one of three formats (A 500-word essay, a 90-second video, or a PowerPoint of fewer than 10 slides). We care a lot about authenticity. We would love to hear stories that come from your personal experience.

Past Projects and Events

Co-Creation

Throughout the past years, our Fellows and CEOs have created different initiatives to impact various stakeholders in the society. More to come!

Joint Discovery

Throughout the past years, we have created more than 40 dialogues exchange and experiences for our Fellows.

Our Fellows & CEOs

Beatrice Chan
Class of 2023 Fellow
Joy Hsiang
Class of 2023 Fellow
Jamie Parng
Class of 2023 Fellow
Anushka Baldwa
Class of 2022 Fellow
Eric Gnock Fah
Co-Founder & COO of Klook
Jennifer Zhu Scott
Founding Partner of IN. Capital; Former Executive Chairman of The Commons Project Foundation
Ryan Ng
Former Fellows Community OC Class of 2023 Fellow
Jeanie Au
Class of 2021 Fellow
Yvette Kong
Hong Kong competitive Olympic swimmer
Francis Ngai
Founder & CEO of Social Ventures HK
Jessica Tse
Class of 2021 Fellow
John Tsang
Former Financial Secretary of HKSAR and Founder of Esperanza
Brian Li
Co-CEO of The Bank of East Asia
Jasper Leung
Class of 2021 Fellow
Jason Cheung
Class of 2022 Fellow
Kevin Kam
CPO of McDonald’s Hong Kong
David Yeung
Co-Founder & CEO of Green Monday
Sarah Tong
Co-Founder & CEO of Big Bang Academy
Fred Ngan
Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Bowtie
Chan Choi
Class of 2023 Fellow
Ryan Cheung
Founder & CEO of PressLogic
Darren Mok
Class of 2022 Fellow
Bessie Lee
CEO of JLL Greater China
Morris Chan
Class of 2022 Fellows
Don So
CEO of Humansa
Vanessa Tse
Class of 2021 Fellow
Karen Wong
Class of 2021 Fellow
Telia Mak
Class of 2023 Fellow
Catherine So
CEO of South China Morning Post
Vincent Lam
Class of 2023 Fellow
Vincent Lam
Class of 2023 Fellow
Tiffany Yang
Class of 2023 Fellow
Telia Mak
Class of 2023 Fellow
Hugo Leung
Class of 2023 Fellow
Stephanie Lo
Class of 2023 Fellow
Ryan Ng
Former Fellows Community OC Class of 2023 Fellow
Manya Khanduri
Class of 2023 Fellow
Leon Cheng
Patronage OC Class of 2023 Fellow
Khalil Mahmood
Class of 2023 Fellow
Keila Juganda
Class of 2023 Fellow
Justin Cai
Class of 2023 Fellow
Julius Choy
Class of 2023 Fellow
Joy Hsiang
Class of 2023 Fellow
Jovy Yu
Class of 2023 Fellow
Jamie Parng
Class of 2023 Fellow
Chan Choi
Class of 2023 Fellow
Beatrice Chan
Class of 2023 Fellow
Angus Loh
Class of 2023 Fellow
Aditya Mangla
Class of 2023 Fellow
Samson Ng
Class of 2023 Fellow
View all Melo People

Thoughts of Fellows & CEOs

💭 One of my most cherished moments with Melo is the night of our graduation. It was a real challenge when I completed my final exam in late May, leaving us with a mere four days to prepare our presentation. What made it even worse was that during the rehearsal, we discovered that our presentation was far from impressive. Louisa even came to give us some special hints and assistance, which made us even more panicked. So, we spent the entire day in the library fixing our mess. Right up until the actual day of graduation, we were still refining our deck and familiarizing ourselves with the scripts.During the graduation day, Kenny noticed our panic and frustration. With a kind smile, he urged us to enjoy the process, even if we failed. Moreover, Don and Randy provided warm support before we stepped on the stage and even suggested that we have some wine. 🍷🤣The reason why this is my best memory in Melo is not only because we fought together as a team 👥, but also because I could see the precious Melo values: genuineness and support. Through this experience, I learned how to embrace failure and take on challenges even when success seemed unlikely.

Samson Ng

Class of 2023 Fellow

Project Melo is a meaningful experience that has allowed me to step out of my comfort zone.My project, theme 3 paediatric patient’s recovery necessitated crossing linguistic and cultural barriers, and having authentically vulnerable conversations about difficult topics.Throughout this experience, I never knew what would come next, which really drove home the importance of taking things day by day, and focusing on what is ahead of me.Luckily, I was surrounded by a team of other talented, driven people, and supported by open-minded CEOs who inspired me with their passion for change in Hong Kong

Julius Choy

Class of 2023 Fellow

Exciting doesn’t even begin to describe the Melo Summit. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase a project that held a special place in my heart before a global audience of like-minded individuals. From the immersive experience of donning full headsets to the humbling sensation of standing on stage, I can still vividly recall the day as if it were yesterday. However, the journey leading up to the summit was just as transformative and exciting.Over the course of six months, I had the privilege of learning from remarkable guest speakers to engaging in casual chats during team dinners. Through it all, I honed my teamwork skills, refined my communication abilities, and cultivated a newfound sense of confidence when interacting with individuals who possessed greater life experience. As someone who joined Project Melo in Year 1, feeling lost and confused, I am grateful for the support and fun from the Melo community, even amidst the challenges of the ongoing pandemic. One can only imagine the heights that could be reached if the circumstances were different!

Eunice Ng

Class of 2022 Fellow

“This is truly a community effort....And I’m honored to be part of this new initiative.Yes, there are challenges ahead, for both our students and corporates... but I remain confident that our Melo Fellows and Peers together with the CEOs can learn from each other how best to weather the uncharted journey ahead.”

Bernard Chan

Chairman of M+

“This is an amazing program. I had a great time engaging with the Melo Fellows. We need more of this type of community driven leadership in the world and I see Melo an important empowerment platform for our exciting new generation. I am excited. For our new generation, let’s get into the arena!”

Dominic Barton

Chairman of Rio Tinto

Thank you Project Melo for bringing me valuable opportunities to meet and connect with our futuremakers through reverse mentoring. As the perfect wrap-up for everyone’s effort, I’m eagerly anticipating the launch of our Fellows’ “21-Day Challenge Climate Change” Happy Meal book this June! Looking ahead, I cannot wait to connect with more young friends and be inspired by their new ideas and creativity. Together, we can drive positive change for Hong Kong and envision a brighter future for all!

Randy Lai

CEO of McDonald's Hong Kong
VIEW ALL SHARING