Disclosure of Directors' Personal Information in Hong Kong

Abstract

Following the lead of the United Kingdom and Australia, Hong Kong recently proposed to tighten up the access of directors’ residential addresses and identity card or passport numbers by the public during the reform of its Companies Ordinance exercise, but encountered strong opposition from the media and various professional bodies, leading the government’s decision to shelve the proposal. This article highlights the lessons that the Hong Kong government should learn from this failure experience of transplanting a corporate law reform that had overlooked the differences in the unique local situations.

Keywords: Directors’ personal information, disclosure, company law, Hong Kong