Experienced public administrator Ms Echo Chan Keng Hong has been named the new Coordinator of the Support Office to the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao). Her appointment to the body, which is also known as Forum Macao, was effective from March 4.

It was made by dispatch No. 76/2015 from the Secretary for Economy and Finance. The swearing-in ceremony will take place in mid-March.

Ms Chan is successor to Ms Rita Botelho dos Santos, who had held the post since the creation of Forum Macao in 2003. Ms Santos retired from the role on March 3.

The new Coordinator has a degree in economics from the University of Jinan in mainland China, and also holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Macau, specialising in marketing and strategic management. She also has a Diploma in Language and Portuguese Culture from the University of Coimbra, Portugal.

Ms Chan, who joined the Macao civil service in 1992, became a senior technician at the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) in 1995.

She headed the Marketing and Public Relations Office of IPIM between July 1996 and October 1999. The official also served as Director of IPIM’s Investor Service Department, between November 1999 and March 2004.

Ms Chan had been an executive director at IPIM since 2004.

In 2011, she took on the additional duties of chairing the Guangdong-Macao Traditional Chinese Medicine’s Technology Industrial Park Development Co. Ltd.

Between August 2011 and December 2014, Ms Chan was also a member of the Board of Directors of Macau Investment and Development, SA.

Prior to that – between September 2010 and July 2011 – Ms Chan had been the Deputy Coordinator of the Office for Preparation of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Industrial Park. She went on to serve as Coordinator there between July 2011 and October 2011.