John So

John Chun Sai So AO (Chinese: 蘇震西; Cantonese Yale: Sou1 Jan3 Sai1, pronounced [sou̯ jɐn sɐi̯]; born 2 October 1946) is a Hong Kong Australian businessman who served as the 102nd Lord Mayor of Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, Australia. He was the first Lord Mayor in the city's history to be directly elected by voters; previously, Lord Mayors were elected by the councillors. He is also the first Lord Mayor of Melbourne of Chinese descent.

In this Hong Kong name, the surname is So (蘇/苏). In accordance with Hong Kong custom, the Western-style name is John and the Chinese-style name is Chun Sai .
John Chun Sai So
AO
102nd Lord Mayor of Melbourne
In office
July 2001 – November 2008
DeputySusan Riley (2001–2004)
Gary Singer (2004–2008)
Preceded byPeter Costigan
Succeeded byRobert Doyle
Personal details
Born (1946-10-02) 2 October 1946
Aberdeen, Hong Kong
CitizenshipAustralia
Political partyIndependent
SpouseWendy Cheng

First elected in 2001 and re-elected in 2004, So is the second-longest-serving Lord Mayor of Melbourne, serving for seven and a half years. In 2006, he won the World Mayor award. On 1 October 2008, So announced that he would not seek re-election for a third term as Lord Mayor. He was succeeded by Robert Doyle.

So currently serves as chairman of the Global Business Council, an international forum established by the World Chinese Economic Forum in Malaysia aimed at facilitating trade between China, India, ASEAN and the Middle East. In December 2013, So was appointed by the Chinese government as a special advisor to the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese.

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