Maria Mok hadn’t planned to fall in love with art—she went to Paris to study fashion design after secondary school. But she became captivated by the city’s museums, galleries and artistic vibes. “I discovered that fine art was a more fitting subject for me, so I decided to change path and enrolled in art history,” she says.

When she returned to Hong Kong, she got an entry-level job at the Hong Kong Museum of Art; she has now been working there for 25 years, decades of experience that prepared her for taking up the top job two years ago, when she was promoted to museum director.

Now, she oversees the museum’s strategic planning and entire operation, from exhibition curation, research, and programme planning, to budgeting, promotions, and staff and venue management. “The museum is the custodian of an art collection that represents the cultural legacy of Hong Kong,” she says. “I work with my team to curate a rich world of contrasts: old and new, Chinese and Western, local and international, so that we can find refreshing ways of looking at tradition and make art relevant to everyone.”

The museum celebrates its 60th anniversary in March next year, and Mok has grand plans for its future. “Since our reopening in 2019 after the renovation, our audience base has been growing. I’ve overheard people exclaiming a sense of belonging and pride as they visit the museum,” she says. “I am determined to widen that audience and deepen that bond, to secure the Hong Kong Museum of Art as the museum of this global city.”