Mr. Edmund Ho was made Chief Executive-elect on 15 May 1999 by the Selection Committee for the Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR). He was appointed Chief Executive-designate on 20 May of the same year by the Premier of the State Council, Zhu Rongji, and was formally sworn in as Chief Executive at a special ceremony marking the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region on 20 December 1999.

Mr. Ho was elected for a second term on 29 August 2004, and was formally appointed by the Central People's Government on 20 September 2004.

Born in Macao in March 1955 and married with a son and daughter, Mr. Ho is the son of the late community leader of Macao and businessman, Mr. Ho Yin, and Madam Chan Keng.

After completing his primary education, Mr. Ho went to study in Canada in 1969. He graduated with a degree in Business Administration from the York University, Canada in 1978, and qualified as a chartered accountant and certified auditor in 1981. After working for a couple of years in an accounting firm in Toronto, he was transferred to Hong Kong in 1982.

Mr. Ho returned to Macao and started himself on a business and political career in 1983, dedicating himself to social activities and community services. His business interests ranged from accounting, finance and banking, insurance, public transportation, mass media, technology, land development to public utilities and he assumed various positions as auditor with KPMG Peat Marwick, Executive Director and General Manager of Tai Fung Bank, Chairman of the Macao Urban Transport Company Ltd. (the Transmac), Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Macao International Airport Co. (CAM), Vice-Chairman of the General Assembly of Air Macao Company Ltd., Chairman of the Board of the MASC Ogden Aviation Services, Vice-President of the Board of Directors of Macao Television Company, etc.

Mr. Ho's political career began in 1986, when he became a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Two years later, he was elected deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC). He was elected to the Standing Committee of both the eighth and ninth NPC.

Mr. Ho joined the local legislature in 1988, and was Vice-President of the Legislative Assembly of Macao for 11 consecutive years (1988-1999).

Mr. Ho had been involved in the preparatory work for Macao's return to the Motherland ever since the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration on the Question of Macao came into effect. He was appointed Vice-President of the Drafting Committee of the Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1988. The following year, he became Vice-President of the Consultative Committee of the Basic Law of the MSAR. He was appointed Vice-President of the Preparatory Committee of the MSAR in 1998. Mr. Ho was also Convenor of the Land Fund Investment Commission of the MSAR of the PRC.

Over the years, Mr. Ho had been leader of a number of industrial, financial, educational, charity or sports institutions and associations. He had been Chairman of Macao Association of Banks since its founding in 1985, Vice-President of the Macao Chamber of Commerce, Vice-Chairman of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, Vice-President of the Economic Council of the Macao Government, Vice-Chairman of the Kiang Wu Hospital Board of Charity, Vice-Chairman of the Tung Sin Tong Charitable Institution, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the University of Macao, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jinan University, Guangzhou, President of the Executive Committee of the Macao Olympic Committee, and President of the Macao Golf Association.