In this episode of the Exec Exchange podcast, host Piers Clark speaks with Ringo Mok, Director of Drainage Services Department at Hong Kong SAR, about how Hong Kong is shaping itself into a flood resilient coastal city. Ringo shares his career path into public service and outlines the Drainage Services Department’s scale, missions, and major achievements, including the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme and the Regulation of Shenzhen River project. He explains how climate change, intense rainfall, and Hong Kong’s compact, low-lying geography require a holistic, integrated flood management approach beyond infrastructure alone, framed as the “Resilience Commons” with shared community responsibility. Ringo details the department’s Adaptation Resilience Management (ARM) framework and describes the response to Super Typhoon Ragasa in 2025, highlighting preparedness, real-time monitoring, rapid recovery, and public engagement.
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 00:31 Ringo’s Career Journey 01:32 What DSD Does 02:14 Scale and Operations 03:28 Signature Projects 04:10 Flood Risk Evolution 06:02 Resilience Commons Concept 06:31 ARM Framework Overview 06:52 Pillar 1 Adaptation 07:30 Pillar 2 Resilience 08:30 Pillar 3 Management 09:27 Case Study Typhoon Ragasa 11:47 Lessons and Future Approach 12:15 Advice to Younger Self 14:12 Wrap Up and Thanks
