Frederick Ma

Frederick Ma Si-hang is a Hong Kong politician and administrator who was chairman of the MTR Corporation from 2015 to 2019.

As a former Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, he was a popular figure with the public and with legislators of all parties. He is the cousin of entertainer Eric Tsang and uncle of evangelist Jaeson Ma.

Biography
Ma was born the eldest of four children on 22 February 1952, and his father died when Ma was in his teens. He attended New Method College in Tai Hang, where his academic results were "less than fantastic". However, whilst there, he won an inter-school project for Hong Kong tourism. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and History with Third-class Honours at the University of Hong Kong.

He graduated in 1973, dreaming of working for Cathay Pacific. As he was due to attend a second interview with the airline, Chase Manhattan made an offer with a promised starting salary of HK$1,600. He accepted the job with the bank, and was relocated to New York three years later. At 27, he became Group Head of Chase Manhattan, in charge of institutional banking. After Chase, he became Chief Financial Officer of PCCW.

Government years
Giving up an annual salary of in excess of HK$10 million, Ma joined the government as a 'cabinet-level' political appointee under the Principal Officials Accountability System since 1 July 2002.

Ma declared himself to be a Christian in 2002, and was affectionately known in Hong Kong as "Fat Ma" because of his portly physique.

He served as Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury for a term of five years. In 2007, after Donald Tsang re-elected as Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Ma continued in SAR government, served as Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development. On 24 June 2008, Ma resigned from the government for health reasons. He was diagnosed with "cavernous hemangioma" and "venous angioma" (blood vessel tumours) in the brain.

Subsequent years
In October 2008, Ma took up an honorary professorship at the School of Economics and Finance at the University of Hong Kong. During his time out, he took up a regime of exercise and lost 17 pounds, to finally weigh 180 pounds.

In 2009, he was invited to the International Advisory Council of the Chinese sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corporation. He was awarded a Gold Bauhinia Star. It was announced in early November that Ma had been named the new non-executive chairman of China Strategic Holdings ; Raymond Or was named the company's vice-chairman and CEO. The company's shares, which were suspended pending the announcement, closed 78 percent higher when they were relisted.

Ma was appointed Justice of the Peace in 2010.

In July 2015, Ma was named the chairman of the MTR Corporation, a position he held until 2019. He became chairman of the Education University of Hong Kong's governing council on 25 April 2017, by appointment of the Chief Executive. His three-year term expired in 2020.