Michael Hanson

Michael "Mike" Hanson (born c. 1930s–1940s, ) is a Hong Kong press secretary, mostly remembered as the spin doctor and the head of Governor Chris Patten's war room from 1992 to 1994. He was responsible for promoting Patten's controversial 1994 Hong Kong electoral reform, which became a political storm that eventually hampered a smooth handover of Hong Kong to China. Hanson is also remembered by the public and the media for being the first official to introduce political PR into the government and for being the government's refugee co-ordinator of Vietnamese asylum seekers in Hong Kong.

Hanson was the head of political public relations of the British Hong Kong government (1991 - October 1994).

Political PR in Hong Kong government In British Hong Kong, Hanson held the roles of head of government property agency, refugee co-ordinator (handling the Vietnamese boat people between 1989 – 1991), information co-ordinator (1991 - October 1994) and personal press secretary (July 1992 - October 1994) of Chris Patten, the last Governor of Hong Kong.

His posting to information co-ordinator came in the wake of September 1991 Hong Kong legislative election, the first ever direct election held. The British Hong Kong government recognized a political PR is needed to respond to the new heavily-mandated Legislative Council. His revolutionized approach of bringing political PR into his position set a precedent. After handover of Hong Kong to China, Hong Kong mayors kept it as a permanent political PR position. In the end, he secured a narrow passage of the bill after surviving Allen Lee's hostile amendment by one vote, 29 to 28 votes. He left both roles in October 1994, with Kevin McGlynn being his successor.

Hanson is also involved in the launching of Eastern Express newspaper in 1994, which has been suggested as leaning to Conservative Party.

After leaving civil service Advisory partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, June 2009. Approved by ACOBA. Advisor, Mace Group, January 2010. Given "unconditional approval" by ACOBA. From 2014, he becomes the CEO of Mace Foundation.