New transformational gift will bolster LSE’s international connections and global standing
A transformational gift from alumnus Hermes Ho Kei Li (BSc Economics 2004) promises to reinforce LSE’s global standing and amplify the worldwide impact of its research by creating pathways for international study and collaboration.
Based in Hong Kong, Hermes is the founder of successful investment firm Aspex Management and a former executive director at Goldman Sachs. His generous gift will create a new global initiative at LSE focused on forging partnerships with leading institutions around the world. It will also support crucial opportunities for LSE students and researchers to work and study in collaboration with their global community of peers.
My time studying in the UK at LSE had a profound impact on me personally and professionally. I met people from all over the world, and some of them continue to be important friends and connections for me today. It made me realise the crucial importance of global mobility for learning and growth, and I’m happy to be able to support international experiences for students at my alma mater.
The global initiative created by Hermes’s gift will support researchers in their efforts to collaborate with peers throughout the world by enabling them to participate in joint research projects, access data and primary-source materials, attend international conferences and workshops, develop long-term research partnerships and much more. Cross-border research collaborations are essential not only for enhancing the global reputation of the School and our faculty but also for making progress toward solving the world’s most pressing issues.
Global connections are vital to ensuring LSE’s groundbreaking social science research remains relevant and influential worldwide. To lead global conversations and tackle complex challenges, our students and researchers must engage directly with affected communities and collaborate with local experts. Hermes’s generous gift will empower LSE to expand its global reach and impact like never before.
This global initiative will have a focus on student experience, creating new mobility opportunities for students to engage in international research and learning by attending events and collaborating on projects with partner institutions around the world. These opportunities will allow students to meaningfully contribute to global social science research while also providing them with experiences that, in many cases, will help shape their personal and professional trajectories.
Hermes’s gift will create opportunities for global mobility available to students and researchers from any of the School’s departments and research centres. Initial pilots are planned to begin in 2025, with further developments in the scope of the initiative over the following years.
