Born in Singapore and educated in Hong Kong, Paris, and Louvain-la-Neuve, Benny Chia Chun Heng started the Fringe Festival in 1983, founded the Fringe Club in 1984, and steered the Fringe Club as managing director and artistic director through to 2022—almost forty years.  He has scripted six stage shows, written three English readers published by Oxford University Press, and contributed articles for the South China Morning Post and several magazines. Chia was a founding member of Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Hong Kong International Film Festival, and the Hong Kong Arts Administrators Association.