University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The Grainger College of Engineering

Kenneth W. Ting

[title]
To Kenneth W. Ting, for exceptional business and civic leadership.

Chairman, Kader Industrial Company Limited, and Director, Kader Holdings Company Limited, Hong Kong

  • BS, 1968, Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

After graduating from Illinois, Kenneth W. Ting returned to Hong Kong to begin an apprenticeship at Kader Industrial Company, which had been founded in 1948 by his father. Three years later, he became director of the company, which, under his leadership, evolved into an international, multifaceted, multimillion-dollar conglomerate with 20,000 employees.

For the past 39 years, he has played an integral role in the development and growth of Kader Industrial and its parent company, Kader Holdings. Beginning in 1981, he began to expand and diversify the business. By acquiring several companies, he was able to apply the principles of sophisticated manufacturing models to enhance products across all of Kader’s manufacturing divisions. Kader’s products have won more than 27 awards from magazines and industry organizations.

Ting was elected to the Hong Kong Legislative Council, representing the Industrial (First) Functional Constituency from 1998 to 2004. He also served as chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries from 2004 to 2007 and as a member of the Jiangsu and Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conferences. Ting currently serves as the chairman of the Hong Kong Ethics Development Advisory Committee of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, as president of HK Wuxi Trade Association Limited, and as the honorary president of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong, the Toys Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong Limited, and the Hong Kong Plastics Manufacturers’ Association Limited. Additionally, he is a member of the Governing Board of the International Council of Toy Industries’ CARE (Caring, Awareness, Responsible, Ethical) Foundation which promotes ethical manufacturing and employee health and safety in the toy industry worldwide, with a focus on China, Hong Kong, and Macau, where approximately 80% of the world’s toys are manufactured.

In 2004, Ting received the 2004 Silver Bauhinia Star from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China for his extraordinary commitment to public affairs and volunteer service. In recognition of his contributions to the toy industry, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 from his peers at the Hong Kong Toys Manufacturers’ Association, and he received the 2010 Industrialist of the Year Award from the Federation of Hong Kong Industries.

Recognizing the inherent value of the education he received at Illinois, Ting established the H.C. Ting Fellowship in Mechanical Engineering in honor of his father. He is a lifetime member of the Alumni Association and a member of the President’s Council and Centuria Circle.

Current as of 2012.