Ming Wai Lau '97
"Crescent School is important to me because it made me into who I am today."
Ming Wai Lau ’97 came to Canada from Hong Kong to attend Crescent School for Grade 12. He says the experience changed his life forever.
“I arrived in Canada with only a moderate interest in academics,” says Ming Wai. “I left with an honours average, a fond appreciation of my wonderful teachers, firm friendships and a newfound drive that has followed me throughout my life as a business professional and a father.”
After graduating from Crescent, Ming Wai attended university in London, England. He earned a PhD in Laws from King’s College London. He is now CEO and Chairman of the Board of Chinese Estates Holdings Ltd in Hong Kong.
In 2021, Lau pledged a transformational $12 million gift to Crescent, the largest in the School’s history. The gift has been applied towards the cost of the seven-acre Bob Rumball Centre property located at 2395 Bayview Avenue, bordering the north end of Crescent’s campus.
“The Rumball Centre property unleashes the enormous potential for Crescent School. It opens unimagined opportunities for future generations of students who I hope will benefit from the school in similar ways that I have,” said Lau.
This is Ming Wai’s second gift to Crescent, In 2010, the Lau Family made a $5 million donation to Crescent’s Great Boys campaign. The Lau Family Wing was named in honour of this remarkable gift, creating a welcoming, boy-centric space for Crescent’s Middle School boys.
