Stephen Y.F. Lai - RETIRED

About

Mr. Stephen Lai is the Managing Director of Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) overseeing Hong Kong, China, Korea and Oman offices and is also a member of the Global Board.

Mr. Lai has extensive experience in managing a number of renowned super skyscrapers projects. He is the Director in Charge of Shanghai Tower (632m) which upon completion is the tallest building in China, as well as for Tianjin Chow Tai Fok Beihai Centre (518m), Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre (530m), Lotte World Tower(556m) in Seoul Korea. Besides, Mr. Lai has also involved in the firm’s skyscrapers projects such as Suzhou Hungnam Centre (729m), Shenzhen Ping An Finance Centre (528m), Nanning China Resources (436m), Two International Finance Centre Hong Kong (420m), Dalian Eton Place (150m-368m), Chongqing Raffle Square (350m), Island East Hong Kong (300m) etc. Mr. Lai is a keen advocate of skyscrapers and is passionate for vertical cities. He is one of the creative minds behind the famous city skyline of Hong Kong and throughout China and Korea.

Mr. Lai joined RLB in 1989 and built his reputation as a trusted property consultant and construction cost estimator. He set up the first few offices for RLB in China in 1994 and also set up the Korea and Oman Offices in 2004 and 2008 respectively.

A highly regarded quantity surveying and project management expert, he has 30 years of extensive knowledge and experience of various projects in Hong Kong, China, Cambodia, Singapore, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, the Middle East, Russia and USA. Externally, he has become a trusted thought leader on state of the construction industry and future trends in construction project management. Mr. Lai is also a sought-after conference speaker for quantity surveying and construction across the region.

Mr. Lai was the President of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (2013). He is currently the Chairman of the Mainland Affairs Committee of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors; the Committee Member of the Association for Project Management in Hong Kong; a Director of the China Engineering Cost Association; a Consultant of the Shenzhen Construction Costs Management Department; a Member of the Construction Industry Council Hong Kong; a Member of the Advisory Committee of the Building and Real Estate Department of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University; a Member of the Start-up Loan for Post-secondary Education Providers Vetting Committee; a Member of the Infrastructure Development Advisory Committee of Hong Kong Trade Development Council; a Member of the Appeal Tribunal Panel; a Member of the Working Group on Professional Services for Economic Development Commission; and a Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) of Xuhui District, Shanghai. He was the Past Chairman of the Quantity Surveying Division of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (2008-2009). He was also the Past Chairman of the Junior Organisation of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Hong Kong Branch) and the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (1994 – 1995).