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Lydia Selina Dunn, Baroness Dunn DBE, JP (born 29 February 1940) is a Hong Kong – British politician and business leader. Active in Hong Kong public affairs from the late 1970s to the mid‑1990s, she served as Senior Unofficial Member of both the Legislative and Executive Councils. A leading voice during the Sino‑British negotiations over Hong Kong’s future, she pressed for democratic reform and the right of abode in the UK for Hong Kong residents, famously moved to tears while testifying before the British Parliament. In 1989 she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and in 1990 she became the first ethnic Chinese life peer in the House of Lords. She retired from Hong Kong public service in 1995, relocated to the UK in 1996, and resigned her Lords seat in 2010 to avoid new UK tax rules affecting non‑doms.

Early life

Lydia Dunn was born on 29 February 1940 in British Hong Kong, daughter of tea merchant Joseph Dunn. She attended St. Paul’s Convent School in Hong Kong before studying at the College of the Holy Names in Oakland, California, and then earning a BSc from the University of California, Berkeley. ^[1]In 1964 she joined the Swire Group in Hong Kong, rising from procurement to export manager.

Business career

From 1978 to 2003 Dunn was a director of Swire Group Hong Kong and from 1981 onward of Swire Pacific. She joined HSBC Hong Kong’s board in 1981, becoming its first female director and later vice‑chair (1992–1996). In 1990 she joined HSBC Holdings as a non‑executive director, serving as vice‑chairman from 1992 until her retirement in 2008. She has also held board positions at Cathay Pacific (1985–1997), MTR Corporation (1979–1985), Regal Hotels Group, Christie’s, Marconi, and others.

Public service

In 1976 Dunn was appointed an Unofficial Member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council by Governor Murray MacLehose, later becoming Senior Unofficial Member (1985–1988). In 1982 she joined the Executive Council under Sir Edward Youde, serving as its Senior Unofficial Member from 1988 to 1995 under Governors Wilson and Patten. She was known for her close links to the British government and influence in policy, including participating in high‑level talks with both UK Prime Ministers and PRC leaders.

Hong Kong’s future negotiations

Dunn participated early in discussions on Hong Kong’s 1997 handover, meeting Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in London (1982) and Deng Xiaoping in Beijing (1984). She joined the Basic Law Consultative Committee invitation but declined for conflict of interest. In 1989 she led appeals for the right of abode in the UK following Tiananmen, lobbying in Parliament and helping secure a limited UK residence scheme announced in 1990.

Democratic reform

Dunn initially supported incremental electoral reform ("through‐train" consensus) but later criticized further direct elections as destabilizing, expressing concerns in both Hong Kong councils and the House of Lords.

Honors

JP (1976)
OBE (1978)
CBE (1983)
DBE (1989)
Life peer, Baroness Dunn of Hong Kong Island and Knightsbridge (1990)

Personal life

In 1988 Dunn married Martin Taylor, with the Governor of Hong Kong serving as best man. They have no children. She collects art and antiques.

References

↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%84%A7%E8%93%AE%E5%A6%82#cite_ref-WHO_5-10

External links

[1] ttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%84%A7%E8%93%AE%E5%A6%82#cite_ref-WHO_5-10

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