The XLII Annual Meeting of the Willi Hennig Society was successfully held from Tuesday July 22nd to Friday July 25th, 2025 at the Henry Cheng International Conference Centre of CUHK (XLII – Annual Meeting 2025 – Willi Hennig Society). ~80 colleagues from across the globe, including from the four corners of China, converged on CUHK to discuss and advance the science of phylogenetic systematics. Covering the whole tree of life and relating to topics as diverse as infectious disease and palaeobiology, the meeting was fruitful and rewarding and attracted a broad demographic including many of our own SLS students and colleagues. We wish to thank the host team, SLS, the Faculty of Science and conference centre staff for their support and contributions that helped make the event a success. Next year’s Annual Meeting will be held in Bogotá, Colombia.