Dr Simon S O Ip is a Senior Partner in Johnson Stokes & Master. From 1992 to 1994, during the preparatory stage of the establishment of the HKIEd, Dr Ip was the founding Chairman of the Provisional Governing Council. He continued to serve as the Chairman of the Council from 1994 to April 2003.

Under Dr Ip's visionary leadership, several significant milestones have been reached by the Institute. The Institute came under the aegis of the University Grants Committee in December 1996 and moved to a purpose-built campus in Tai Po in 1997. In 1998, the Institute launched its first degree and postgraduate programmes. The Strategic Plan for 1999-2004 was also formulated in 1999 to guide the Institute's strategic developments.

At the conferment ceremony, Dr Ip shared with us his vision for teacher education. Successful learning is not possible without quality teaching, and this commitment to quality has been an intrinsic part of the Institute's philosophy. To this end, he encouraged the Institute to advocate boldly all that is good for teacher education in Hong Kong, from the embracing of the "all graduate, all trained policy" to the implementation of a whole person approach to learning. This will ensure that students step out into the educational world, proficient in languages, practised in social, technical and communication skills, and professionally prepared as teachers and educators for the 21st century.