Leo Paper Group Garners Prize at Directors Of The Year Awards 2018 in the Category of Non-listed Companies � Boards

• Turnover hits another record high of
  HK$4 billion
• Profit before taxation recorded close
  to double-digit year-on-year growth in the past 20 years
• The Sole Private Company to Garner the
  Directors Of The Year Awards (Category: Non-listed Companies –
  Boards) in 17 Years

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HONG
KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - November 30, 2018 - Leo Paper Group (Hong Kong) Limited
(the “Group”), one of the largest paper product manufacturers in Asia and a
leading private global printing company based in Hong Kong, has announced it
has won the Directors Of The Year Awards 2018 (Category: Non-listed Companies –
Boards) presented by The Hong Kong Institute of Directors. The Group is the
only private company to garner this Award since 2002, honouring its outstanding
performance in corporate governance. The Group has also announced that its
business results have reached another record high, with turnover amounting to
HK$4 billion in 2018 to date. Profit before taxation reported close to
double-digit year-on-year growth over the past 20 years. Furthermore, the Group
has been pursuing good corporate governance and followed a governance policy
through verified and stringent monitoring procedures. Since 2003, it has
voluntarily followed the requirement of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong for
listed companies to issue annual reports and, since 2009, it has held annual
shareholder meetings with independent auditors. These procedures combined to
make the Board deserving of this accolade presented annually by The Hong Kong
Institute of Directors.

The Hong Kong Institute of Directors presented the Directors Of The Year Awards 2018 (Category: Non-listed Companies – Boards) to Mr. Samuel Leung, Chairman of the Group (2nd from left), and the Board of Leo Paper Group.

 

Mr. Samuel Leung, Chairman of the Group, said, “The Group is honoured to
be the sole private company to receive this prestigious Award in 17 years.
Since founding, the Group has developed its business in accordance with the
principles of transparency, integrity and ethics, as well as consistently
adhered to stringent standards in corporate governance policy. Winning the
Award certainly represents recognition of our business development strategies
and corporate governance philosophy over many years. On behalf of the Group, I
would like to thank the Board for their farsighted leadership. Mr. King Lai,
the Group’s CFO and Group Director, has led the finance team to efficiently
complete and sign off on the Group’s annual consolidated audit report in high
quality within three months over 10 consecutive years. This has driven the
implementation of good corporate governance in the Group. I would also like to
express my appreciation to our dedicated staff for their contributions in all
aspects of our progress.”

 

Mr. Leung added, “The Group will
continue to uphold the principle of ‘to the best at what we do’ and enhance the
efficiency and quality of all business processes so as to maximise value for
customers. At the same time, the Group will continue to fulfill social
responsibility and strive to protect the environment, and thereby achieve the
highest business ethics standard.”

 

Founded in 1982, Leo Paper Group was
then a traditional printing company with a staff of eight. Today, it is one of
the leading paper product manufacturers in Asia with a workforce of around
13,000. The scale of its production facility in Heshan is the largest single
printing plant in Asia. “The Pursuit of Excellence” has always been integral to
the Group’s corporate culture. The Group has invested more than HK$200million
in constructing an internationally-recognised Innovative Technology Centre at
its Heshan plant. The new facility focuses on developing new technologies as
well as creating customised products in accordance with customers’ needs.
Moreover, the Group has endeavoured to lower power consumption in production,
conserve energy, reduce emissions and treat sewage. In early September 2018,
the Group became the first private company in Hong Kong to earn the Hong Kong
Quality Assurance Agency (“HKQAA”) Green Finance Certificate. It has also been
granted a HK$350 Million Four-Year Green Loan Term and Revolving Credit
Facility, which will be used for its 20 green technology projects that will
roll out in China during the next few years. The Group’s success is due to its
staff upholding the same value and commitment to attaining the same goals.
Hence, the Group has placed a high emphasis on vocational training and
promotion of corporate culture. In 2010, it established a vocational and
technical school specialising in training new staff and providing three-year training
programmes to the students of local secondary schools. A total of more than
2,600 students have graduated since the establishment of the school.

 

The Group has adhered to the “lean
manufacturing” concept over the years to build highly effective and automated
production lines. Looking ahead, it will also strategically integrate its
sales, production, procurement and the R&D core value chain so as to
facilitate flow of information throughout the entire business operation
process. As for governance, the Group has set up inter-departmental project
groups to strengthen internal communication and cooperation. It manages to
supervise staff at all levels with the well-structured human resources system
and also regularly organises training and experience activities so that the
teams thoroughly understand the Group’s philosophy, values and corporate
culture. At the same time, the Group has not forgotten to give back to society.
Committed to building a green manufacturing system, the Group’s production base
in Heshan was designated as a “National Green Factory” in October this year,
reflecting recognition of this achievement from the industry, customers and
society.

 

The winning companies of the
Directors Of The Year Awards 2018 presented by The Hong Kong Institute of
Directors are selected based on strict and comprehensive criteria, including
board composition and competencies of directors, effectiveness in strategic
corporate business functions, compliance and accountability, risk and
succession management, business ethics, etc. The judging panel praised the
Board of the Group for its excellent management skills, experience and
perspective. These strengths have enabled it to lead all employees to uphold
the same corporate values, continue its initiatives in investing resources in
environmental protection and fulfilling its social responsibility, and proactively
act in accordance with the listing rules to realise high standard and
transparent governance. The Award thus represents a great acknowledgement of
the Group’s outstanding efforts over the past years.

 

About Leo Paper Group

Founded in 1982, Leo Paper
Group is a global printing company and one of the largest paper product
manufacturers in Asia. Headquartered in Hong Kong, the Group has a workforce of
about 13,000 and owns advanced automatic manufacturing equipment and
technology, and possesses design and production capability, enabling it to
offer professional one-stop services from design, development, manufacturing,
printing to secondary processing and finishing of paper products. Its products
are shipped across the world, including to the U.K., the U.S., Australia and
Europe.

 

About Directors Of The Year Awards

First launched in 2001 as
the first ever such Awards organised in Asia, Directors Of The Year Awards are
organised annually by the Hong Kong Institute of Directors and co-organised by
the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau of HKSAR Government, Securities
and Futures Commission, and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited. The Awards
aim to promote the importance of good corporate governance, appreciate the
excellent work done by the directors and the board in terms of director’s
practices and corporate governance, as well as to raise the attention of all
walks of life in Hong Kong to the professional-based development for excellent
corporate governance and directors’ functions. Awards are presented by company
categories, viz Listed Companies, Non-listed Companies and Statutory/Non-profit-distributing
Organisations, and by capacities, viz Executive Directors, Non-Executive
Directors and Boards to recognise outstanding performance in various criterias.