Betty Fung Named Interim Head Of Troubled Arts Hub

Career bureaucrat Betty Fung was on Wednesday named interim head of the troubled West Kowloon arts hub, replacing Duncan Pescod, who's leaving the position nine months before his contract is due to expire.

She will be seconded from her position as head of the government's Policy Innovation and Coordination Office to the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority next month.

Authority chairman Henry Tang says she'll remain interim chief until a permanent CEO is found in a global search.

Asked by reporters whether he's worried that the career civil servant would be overly bureaucratic, Tang said he's confident Fung will put arts as her top priority.

He also thanked the outgoing chief, Duncan Pescod, for his contributions to the hub, though he declined to comment on whether he had left the post voluntarily or was told to quit early.

Pescod himself had previously said in a social media post that he was forced out without being told why.

During his five years at the helm, the arts hub has suffered from a variety of setbacks, from construction problems and delays to ballooning costs.

Fung has served a wide variety of roles in her more than three decades in government. She was previously the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services and Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs.

She was also involved in the preparatory work for the construction of the Hong Kong Palace Museum at the arts hub.