The presentation ceremony of the 2021 Shanghai Magnolia Silver Award is held in Shanghai on Sept 15. [Photo/WeChat account of Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office]

The municipal government of Shanghai conferred the Magnolia Silver Award to 50 foreigners in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the city's development on Sept 15.

The laureates come from 15 nations and presently work in a variety of field, including the medical and health, scientific and technological research and development, business investment, advanced manufacturing, as well as the exhibition industries.

Among them, eight laureates that are now working or living in Pudong New Area were recommended for their contributions in promoting economic, finance, trade, shipping, education, technological, and cultural development, as well as friendly exchanges with foreign countries.

The Magnolia Silver Award was first launched in 1989 and is among the highest honors a foreigner can received in the city. To date, 1,316 foreigners have received the award, including 109 from Pudong.

The eight laureates from Pudong New Area are:

Pascal Bizard, who came from France and works as a senior vice-president of Decathlon (Shanghai) Sports Co.

Lei Huanli, a Canadian who now works as a senior vice-president of Covestro (Shanghai) Investment Co.

Goshi Oba, who came from Japan and works as president of Omron Industry Automation (China) Co.

Saw Choon Seong, a Malaysian who holds the position of global vice-president of Air Products.

Christian Heinz Sommer, who came from Germany and works as the chairman of the German Centre for Industry and Trade Shanghai.

Elisabeth Staudinger-Leibrecht, an Australian who works as the president of the Asia Pacific region for Siemens Healthineers Ltd.

Manfred Christian Dietel, who came from Germany and now works as the German director of the Sino-German Joint Laboratory, Virchow Laboratories-Institute of Pathology, Shanghai East Hospital Tongji University.

Kenji Hosoyama, who came from Japan and now works as a visiting research professor of the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences.