Hong Kong’s troubled arts hub dealt fresh blow as head of finance departs
- Kitty Fung has left her position as chief financial officer at the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
- The managing body now has four critical vacancies to fill just months before the flagship M+ museum opens
The head of finance at Hong Kong’s arts hub authority stepped down on Wednesday in the latest upheaval to the top ranks of the troubled organisation.
In an email sent to staff, acting chief executive officer Eva Kwong Pui-han said Fung was leaving with immediate effect and finance general manager Carmen Lee would lead the finance services division until a new chief financial officer was found.
The multibillion-dollar hub project, decades in the planning, is Hong Kong’s bid to firmly establish itself as a global cultural destination. But ballooning budgets, construction delays and management turnover have hobbled progress, while a rapidly shifting political landscape has pushed curators into defending artworks from accusations they offend the nation.
In July, Jeremy Stowe, the authority’s chief project officer and head of construction, left his position after going on administrative leave in May, soon after law enforcement officers visited his office.
