Professor Chan graduated with a first class honour bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering in 1968 and obtained a Ph.D. degree with a thesis on Optical Fibre Communication in 1972, both from the Queen Mary, University of London. He was further admitted as an Honorary Fellow to Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London in 1998.

Prof. Chan is currently the Chairman of the Hong Kong Electronic Industries Association and the Chairman of Group 27 (Automobile components) under the Federation of Hong Kong Industries (FHKI). He is also the Honorary Chairman of the Hong Kong Green Manufacturing Alliance, the Honorary President of the Hong Kong Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology Ltd., the Honorary President of Surface Mount Technology Association Hong Kong Chapter and a Director of the Automotive Parts and Accessory Systems R&D Centre Ltd of the Innovation and Technology Commission. In addition, Prof. Chan is a member of the Panel of Assessors for the Innovation and Technology Support Program under the Innovation and Technology Fund, a representative of Industry Work Group on Electronics of Hong Kong Productivity Council. Furthermore, Prof. Chan has been appointed as a member of the ASTRI Technology Review Council, a member of the HKTDC Advisory Committee on Hong Kong/Shenzhen Hi-tech Alliance as well as the Product Promotion Programme Committee; a member of the Design Council of Hong Kong under FHKI, a member of the Executive Committee of Singapore Chamber of Commerce (Hong Kong) and Fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers.

He has been awarded the Medal of Honor by the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in July 2008.

On the academic side, Professor Chan is the Guest Professor of Guangdong University of Technology, Adjunct Professor of Department of Electronic Engineering, City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and has been awarded Distinguished Fellow by CityU. He is designated as the Chairman of the Electronic Engineering Departmental Advisory Committee, the Honorary Chairman of the Advisory Committee (Industry) for Co-operative Education Centre, and the Honorary Advisor of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at CityU. Meanwhile, Prof. Chan is also a member of the Departmental Advisory Committee of the Electrical & Electronic Engineering at the University of Hong Kong, a member of the Advisory Board of the Faculty of Engineering at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a member of the Committee on Technologist Training of Vocational Training Council. Besides, he is the District President of Sham Shui Po East District, Scout Association of Hong Kong.

In the Mainland, Prof. Chan has been appointed as the 11th Changchun Committee Member and the Deputy Director of HK, Macau & Taiwan Compatriot Committee of CPPCC in 2007. He was awarded Honorary Citizenship of Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, in 2001. Prof. Chan is also a member of Dongguan City Committee of Guangdong Province of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a standing member of the China Electronic Chamber of Commerce, the Honorary Advisor of Tianjin Economic-technological Development Area, the Honorary Chairman of the Dongguan Electronic Industries Association and the Honorary Advisor of Dongguan City Tangxia Commerce Association.