Michael Stone is Secretary General of the University Grants Committee (UGC), a position he has held since 2003. In his current position he is responsible for providing advice to and servicing the UGC, which is the body in Hong Kong responsible for proposing policy initiatives in the degree sector to the Administration and for the disbursement and monitoring of the funding granted by the government to the eight higher education institutions under the ambit of the UGC. Michael Stone spent his career with the Government after joining the then Hong Kong Government in 1976 as an Administrative Officer. Michael has served in such areas as control of government finances; tertiary education funding and policy; policy related to the disciplined services; management of the civil service; trade policy (working on Services at the SAR Government's office to the WTO); and E-Government Coordinator. He was seconded to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts from 1987-89 and to the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1989-92.