Michelle HongCo-Founder and COO, Rooftop Republic Urban Farming

Having lived in densely built up cities such as Hong Kong and Singapore, Michelle is passionate about transforming our urban environment into greener spaces and to better integrate nature into our lives. In 2015, she co-founded social enterprise Rooftop Republic and non-profit Farm the City to promote community gardening and urban rooftop farming for city dwellers and to improve food resilience for the underprivileged food-insecure communities. She and her team are working with the top 10 corporates and real estate developers in Hong Kong, to transform underutilized spaces into productive, green edible landscapes, bridging the gap between the concrete landscapes we live in and how our food is grown. 

Michelle has 15+ years professional experience in global brand advertising in 4A firms. She is also a Vital Voices VV Grow 2020 Fellow and a winner of the Global Green Economic Forum Social Eco Game Changer Award 2020, and holds an Executive MBA with The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Michelle and the work of Rooftop Republic has been featured in various global and international media such as Financial Times, Forbes, CNA, the SCMP and more.