r Shane Solomon left the HA in October, after serving as our Chief Executive for more than four years.

To bid farewell to him, our Head Office colleagues arranged a special lunch on 15 October. A reception attended by many staff members from the seven clusters was also held on the same day. Both events took place at the Head Office building.

A large crowd of well-wishers warmly welcomed the guest of honour at both gatherings. During the lunch, they seized their last opportunity to talk directly to Mr Solomon in a 'talk show' held at the Theatre. Some of them fired off crafty questions for the outgoing CE to answer "candidly". The audience repeatedly roared with laughter at the witty responses and remarks that flowed profusely from the stage.

More than 300 colleagues from the clusters and Head Office attended the evening reception. They included our Chairman, Mr Anthony Wu, who thanked Mr Solomon for his significant contributions to the Authority during his speech. To show their appreciation and fond memories of working with him, the cluster staff members presented Mr Solomon with a number of well-chosen gifts, including a scarf, calligraphy, caricature and digital photo frame.

The happy atmosphere at both events spoke volumes about the respect and support HA staff members feel towards him. Yet it was also tinged with sadness, because we were so sorry to see him go.

Mr Solomon took up the post of Chief Executive in 2006. Over the years, he worked seamlessly with our colleagues, faced many challenges side-by-side with them, and achieved many successes.

He drove a multitude of changes and reforms in the HA, such as enhanced career-development structures for doctors and nurses, the "Doctor Work Reform", restructuring the Head Office, leadership and succession initiatives, and the Hospital Chief Executives rotation programme.

He also advocated greater transparency and accountability within the Authority, and committed it to continuous service improvement. Other outstanding accomplishments during his tenure included the modernisation of equipment and IT and corporate management systems, such as the "Pay for Performance" internal-resource allocation model. In addition, he inspired us to pursue higher quality and safety standards, with a view to attaining hospital accreditation.

Mr Solomon has now left for Australia where he is starting a new job. He told us that he was taking a wealth of fond memories and a bounty of valuable experience with him.

We wish Mr Solomon good health, a happy life, and every success in the future!