The Laidlaw Scholars Programme has been made available to HKU students (HKU Laidlaw Scholars) in 2019 by the generous funding support from Lord Laidlaw of Rothiemay. As a prestigious scholarship programme embedded at the Universities of Leeds, Oxford, UCL, York, to name just a few, the Laidlaw Programme equips students with research and leadership skills to help them pursue their academic and professional aspirations beyond their current course of study.

A graduate of Cambridge University, Susanna’s professional experience includes over 15 years in senior leadership roles in international B2B and learning businesses. Susanna began her career at the Institute for International Research (IIR) where she first worked with Lord Laidlaw, rising to Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). When IIR, which was the world’s largest organiser of commercial conferences, was acquired by Informa plc in 2005 Susanna was appointed CMO of the enlarged group and also led the public company’s investor relations programmes. She subsequently joined Emap Ltd as Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer and CEO of Emap Networks, that group’s conferences business. Later she became CEO of the fashion industry forecaster WGSN and was latterly Group Content and Marketing Partner of the leading strategy consultancy Brunswick Group. A German-American raised and educated in the UK and a committed internationalist, Susanna has been involved in globally trading businesses throughout her career, directing activity in the Americas, across continental Europe, and the Asia Pacific. Susanna has been extensively involved with education and professional development over many years. She was Head of Group Training and led the commercial acquisition and integration of a portfolio of corporate training businesses whilst at IIR; and created learning academies at both Informa and Emap. She believes experiencing and appreciating different cultures promotes better global understanding, creativity and leadership. She is passionate about the power of education to transform lives; and believes that we need to develop a new generation of diverse leaders who are curious, bold and devoted to decency, truthfulness, and innovation. Susanna is committed to diversity not only as a societal imperative but as a critical component of commercial success. As an advisor to the trustees of the Foundation, Susanna first learnt about its purpose and programmes before becoming its Chief Executive responsible for the Laidlaw Schools Trust, the Laidlaw Scholars and its other education programmes. Susanna read English and Philosophy at Newnham College, University of Cambridge. She has five half blues in swimming and water polo; and played netball and rowed for Newnham.

I work in UCL Education and Student Affairs at UCL as a Project Manager. Our office has responsibility for improvements in education and the student experience, including the integration of teaching and research. I have managed high profile projects including a Graduate Support Scheme and a Review of Postgraduate Education. I currently manage the day to day administration of the Laidlaw Programme.

Hello! My name is Hao, and I am a 2022 Laidlaw Scholar. I am a law student at the University of Hong Kong and am particularly interested in law and technology and commercial law. During my first year with Laidlaw, I worked with Dr Jedidiah Kroncke of the HKU Faculty of Law in analysing the difficulties faced by current US federal legal standards in establishing legal liability when AI is involved in a hiring discrimination civil lawsuit, and devising a pragmatic solution to the doctrinal problems diagnosed.

Hi, here is Renie:) I am an undergraduate student at HKU majoring in Sociology. I have keen interests in Latin America studies, urban studies, film studies, and community construction. As a queer feminist, I also practice sociology in a everyday sense, weaving love and the tenderest corner in a creative way - treating daily life as sociological act and photography as spatial documentation. For my Laidlaw research, I will work on a project named Telling Operatic Stories: Race, ethics, and authenticity at the University of Leeds. Given the breadth of the interdisciplinary nature of opera studies, this research will include, while not limited to musicology, performance studies, and sociology, in a way of exploring decolonization, ethics, and representation. 

I am a year 3 student in the University of Hong Kong's interdisciplinary BASc(Global Health and Development) programme (hosted at the School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, HKU) while pursuing a second major in Psychology. In the past year, I served as the chairperson of my programme's student society at HKU. My research engagement extends beyond the six-week attachment at University College London's ISEH in summer 2023 – after returning to Hong Kong, I am still working with the researchers at UCL to prepare a systematic review, and following up the results so far to combine with the continued effort back in the UK to write up a journal article for submission soon. Back in HKU, I have joined research labs in psychiatry and psychology departments, working on both statistical analyses and research project managements. More recently, I have led the organisation of a month-long summer research programme for high school students as part of my LiA with the research lab I have been working since Jan 2024. Besides what I have been immersing myself in research, I have a keen interest towards topics like inequality in society, our health, environmental and sustainable development studies. During secondary school years, I steered my school's flagship territory-wide primary school STREAM education initiative for two years and administered school student bodies of the discipline team, school history and gifted education team and took an active role in the environmental protection team. I was named one of the 2021 Hong Kong Outstanding Teens and was twice commended by the Education Bureau as an Outstanding Student Environmental Protection Ambassador. I endeavour to promote equality for underprivileged and underrepresented groups in society including ethnic minorities and enhance their upward social mobility. In 2022, I competed the in first Hong Kong Student Service Leaders Award organized by Dream Compassioneers, undertaking social service projects and was recognized with the title of the Top Ten Outstanding Student Service Leaders 2022. Last updated: July 2024

I am an undergraduate Laidlaw scholar from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. I have lived most of my life in Dublin (apart from three years in Berlin - but no, I can't speak German). My main research area is political philosophy; my research interests in particular are in how human rights can be used as an approach to morality, and how we should consider and address 'structural injustices' in society. I also have interests in democratic theory, and heterodox approaches to economics. Outside academia, I am often involved in social/political activism. I'm a keen ultimate frisbee player, and I enjoy chess, table tennis, and hiking. I'm also (slowly) learning French and Polish.

Hi! My name is Ainav Rabinowitz, and I’m a rising Junior at Cornell University. I’m planning to double-major in Government and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and minor in Near Eastern Studies and Public Policy. My research project investigates the militarization of law enforcement in the Middle East, analyzing the way in which civilian police forces have become more militarized and the way militaries have taken on law enforcement responsibilities. My research will more specifically focus on the consequences of militarization on human rights over the past two decades, offering a broad overview of the Middle East as well as a closer analysis of 2-3 countries across the political spectrum. I will be working with Professor Flores-Macías, who focuses on the consequences of militarization in Latin America. Feel free to reach out! Some other facts about me: I love anything art-related (I primarily create digital illustration and acrylic paintings), and also always love sharing my favorite books:)

I am a member of the University of Leeds' 2021 Laidlaw Scholar Cohort. My self-defined project explores the representation of concurrent themes of nature and isolation in 20th century and contemporary literature. I study English and History of Art and have a love of all things books, art and the outdoors! I also run a zine that features contributions from young creatives across the UK.  Please take a look at my blog which delves into my research project a bit deeper here: https://outdoorfiction.blogspot.com/ 

I am an alumna of the 2021-22 Columbia Laidlaw Scholars cohort, and graduated from Columbia (CC'24) with majors in History and Mathematics. My Laidlaw research centered on the women's movement in early twentieth-century British India. My first summer focused on the Indian writer, educator, and activist Mahadevi Varma, and my second summer focused on networks of women from across the British empire attending the Oxford in the 1910s-30s at the Unstable Archives Project.

Hello all! I did my Laidlaw Programme at Durham University between 2019-2021. My research project focused on evaluating the immigration and asylum system of the EU through a case study of the 2015 immigration crisis. Following the completion of my undergraduate LLB degree I moved to London to pursue my postgraduate LLM study at Queen Mary University of London.

Alex was the Programme Director of the Laidlaw Scholars Leadership and Research Programme from September 2021 - May 2024.  Prior to joining the Laidlaw Foundation Alex spent over a decade at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, where he most recently managed the university’s Laidlaw Scholars Programme. In addition, Alex taught leadership courses and guest-lectured internationally on the subjects of strategy and leadership. A bilingual speaker, dual national and keen traveller, Alex has lived, visited and worked in several countries around the world. During this time, he has had a unique opportunity to encounter and explore different cultures and working environments, experiencing first-hand what good leadership can achieve. His passion for this topic is driven by these experiences and a desire to challenge people to unlock their full leadership potential. Alex holds an MBA from the Open University and a Master of Research in Management from the University of St Andrews. He has also obtained Associate Fellow status with the Higher Education Academy. In his spare time, Alex is an avid skier and volunteers with a local guide dog organisation.