AmCham HK’s 21st Women of Influence (WOI) annual summit and gala explored the theme “Beyond Boundaries: Accelerating Transformative Leadership,” with a ‘summit week’ from March 3-6 and a sold-out gala awards dinner at the Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel on March 14. Planning and events actually began a year earlier, with kick-off cocktails at the Shangri-La Hotel in June 2024. The four panel discussions during the summit week, as well as a post-gala networking social on April 2 and the gala dinner were among a total of 15 events over the course of the year, with the grand finale wrapped around International Women’s Day on March 8, commemorating women’s fight for equality and liberation along with the women’s rights movement.
Generously funded by 22 sponsors, the extended celebration comes at a time when the closely related concept of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) faces setbacks from a US Administration that views DEI policies as regulatory intrusion. That hasn’t fazed the WOI event organizers, or the nine awardees, who have lived the message of women’s rights regardless of labels. “We will always stand for the importance of diversity, no matter what the eternal situation says,” said Chelsea Perino, co-chair of the event.
Beverly Sunn, founder of AmCham’s WOI series in 2004, moderated the keynote panel at the gala dinner. Ignite Talks, closely modeled after the five-minute, 20-slide format of TED talks, combined with the awards presentation to showcase the extraordinary skills of women and male allies, while an all-girl a capella choir from Hong Kong International School provided entertainment.
Wild whoops accompanied the announcement of each winner at the 21st annual WOI gala and awards summit, out of a field of 279 nominations and 27 finalists, against the backdrop of Aberdeen Channel and the South China Sea. In a packed ballroom with 285 attendees, AmCham President Eden Woon and Chairman David Butts welcomed an elegant and only occasionally rowdy crowd, together with the co-chairs of the WOI committee – Perino, who is managing director, global marketing and communications, The Executive Center; Belinda Esterhammer, CEO, Asia of The DO, and Maggie Ho, managing director and head of human capital management at Goldman Sachs Asia Pacific.
AmCham’s director of administration and finance, CK (Chai-Khee) Sim and the team from AmCham’s Community Hub provided support behind the scenes, with Sim deftly orchestrating the innumerable emails, WhatsApps, text messages, meetings and phone calls behind the planning of WOI events extending over nine months. Programming was up by 79% over previous years, with the four panel discussions on different dates and in different venues increasing the complexity but also enriching the message.
A summit series focusing on women in leadership roles
The theme linking gala, panels, Ignite Talks, and awards was women in leadership roles. The first of the panels, on March 3, a fireside chat at the Hong Kong Club, explicitly addressed an element of leadership that is frequently ignored, “Belonging,”, which refers to the way that women and minorities frequently feel stranded when they are left out of the community and professional networks that have sustained men over generations. Even today, women and minorities often find themselves pioneers in organizations where their colleagues are a single ethnicity and gender that represent legacy, tradition and community acceptance. The second installment in the SheLeads series, panelists included Maggie Ho, Damien Mooney, head of Asia Pacific ex-Japan for Fidelity International, Ronald Lee, head of private wealth management at Goldman Sachs (Asia) LLD, and Trilby White, founder at Inicio Consulting, with co-chair of the WOI organizing committee, Maggie Ho, moderating.
The second of the WOI series, entitled “The Gender Lens: Transforming ESG through Diversity and Inclusion” on March 4 at the AmCham Community Hub, tackled head on the relationship between DEI and environmental, social and governance equity in a newly hostile environment with new hurdles raised by a US Administration determined to remove DEI as a policy influence from US government programs. The backlash has worldwide consequences. Leadership also plays a role in both DEI and ESG.
Said panelist Janet Ledger, CEO of Community Business, “ESG is a powerful framework for advancing your DEI goals, particularly when you are looking at the S and G, but it does require leadership commitments throughout the organization.” At a time when a few boards and investor communities are dropping DEI initiatives, others are pushing back. “It isn’t all doom and gloom,” she added. The panel was moderated by Jason Chang, partner at environmental consultants ERM, with Shirley Chen, Vice President, buildings and places, Hong Kong, at engineering giant AECOM; Betty Wan, Fellow Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD) and group head of organizational talent and development, CLP; and Olivia Wong, general manager, environmental and social responsibility, MTR Corporation.
Two more panels focused on women in tech, with “Tech Futures: Innovating to Move the Needle” at the AmCham Community Hub on March 5, and “Future Proof Your Reputation in an Age of AI, at the TechTalk Room, in Google Hong Kong’s office on March 6. Tech Futures offered women in tech a chance for honest discussion about their often- contested roles among the “tech bros” of Silicon Valley and beyond. Panelists included Cally Chan, general manager of Microsoft Hong Kong and Macau; Jessica Lam, chief strategy officer at WeLab; Lamia Sreya Rahman, co-founder and COO of Seekr; with GenAI Explorer Mehrnoush S., innovation and generative AI enablement lead at HSBC, serving as moderator.
The last of the summit panels, Future Proof Your Reputation in the Age of AI, was moderated by Diana David, futurist and CEO of the Future Proof Lab, with Prisca Lam, director of ads marketing at Google; Yannick Mahé, head of business engineering and growth engineering at Meta; and WOI organizing committee co-chair Chelsea Perrino.
Style and substance
Like many other major cities around the world, from London to New York – Hong Kongers love to dress up. Even the word “gala” conveys a fancy-dress atmosphere. The WOI gala was no different, with partygoers congratulating each other on their sequin studded pants (we’re looking at you, Felicity McRobb) and gorgeous gowns down to the simple and elegant office attire worn by some of the AmCham Community Hub principals, notably Queenie Tsui and Carman Ngai.
But there was also substance, in the roster of speakers for WOI’s signature Ignite Talks, hosted by Jen Flowers, head of Asia, go-to-market strategy and sales at Hyperlayer. Speakers included Jodie Chan, artist, singer, and songwriter (by night), and entrepreneur with cloud solution company Chinafy and Notey Labs, its parent by day; Beckaly Franks, one of Asia’s top bartenders and founder of Creative Directory Hungry Ghosts; Deepmala KD, multilingual emcee and BlackRock investment analyst; Kirti Lad, executive director of Meraki Executive Search and Consulting; Idawati Misno, founder of Women’s Journal; Stephanie Ng, founder and executive director at Body Banter; Manisha Wijesinghe, executive director of HELP for Domestic Workers; Victoria Wisniewski Otero, founder and CEO of Resolve HK; and Joey Yuen, co-founder of Maison Kali.
Similarly, presenters of the awards were heavy hitters, with Belinda Au, president of Chubb Life Hong Kong and head of North Asia; Tony Cheng, president and CEO of Reinsurance Group of America; and Karen Ip, head of asset and wealth management, Asia Pacific, for Goldman Sachs.
WOI founder Beverly Sunn led a spirited keynote panel discussion with former WOI awardees Ng, Lad and Wijesinghe. Wijesinghe, whose NGO represents domestic workers, some of Hong Kong’s most marginalized and under-rewarded women, said: “How you pave the way for other women is important, and after a musical interlude from Keira, Tara, Ela, Shreya, Nina, Chantal, Sophie, Candace, Chloe and Hilary of the HKIS a capella choir, the awards were announced.
The winnahs!
But who were the winners? A tense moment for some but in the end, competitive instincts were replaced by admiration for the achievements of these women and one company voted best company championing women. Here are the awardees together with comments from the judges:
Young Change Maker Sumichhya Gurung, senior program manager, EmpowerU: Sumichhya Gurung is breaking cycles of intergenerational poverty through innovative educational solutions, empowering women, and building sustainable programs that turn her aspirations into impactful actions.
Leading Woman Entrepreneur Anne Sawyer, school founder, The International Montessori School: The winner has demonstrated consistency and commitment to her industry and mission over many years, creating a recognizable brand, ensuring ongoing quality, and creating secure pathways for future development and growth.
Leading Woman Director or Executive Olivia Wong, General Manager Environmental and Social Responsibility, MTR Corporation Limited: Olivia Wong drives diversity at MTR and inspires change, significantly impacting Hong Kong through her leadership and volunteer work. A role model for young women, she leads with passion and purpose.
Woman Change Maker in STEM Barbara Wang, founder and chairwoman, Hong Kong Smart City Association: Barbara Wang brings exceptional breadth and depth to male-dominated industries, championing human-centric Artificial Intelligence (AI) and paving the way for a more inclusive future.
Champion for Women (Female) Lena Wong, managing director of Womentors, founder of Hong Kong Momtrepreneurs: The winner has founded her own NGO to support women’s empowerment through entrepreneurship, is an active supporter of multiple women’s corporate and social initiatives, and is a tireless advocate for building educational and support networks for women’s advancement.
Champion for Women (Male) Damien Mooney, head of Asia Pacific ex-Japan, Fidelity International: The winner has demonstrated, through his personal advocacy for women and his commitment to supporting women’s groups and issues, a particular understanding of the issues at stake and how systemic change is required to address these. He is proactive and empathetic in his commitment to change.
Leading Woman in Arts, Sports & Leisure Maitreyi Karanth Rao, actress and standup comedian, founder and CEO, Koma Karanth Foundation Limited: The winner offers originality, authenticity, and a breath of fresh air. She is a pioneer in her field, using her wit and multiple talents to generate joy and appreciation of her art form, inspiring others to have the confidence to speak out too.
Woman Champion of Disadvantaged Groups & Minorities Kay McArdle, founder and CEO, Equal Justice: The winner has consistently shown professionalism and authority in leading her organization and has engendered the respect and trust of beneficiaries and all stakeholders alike. She is a recognized authority in the field and is growing the NGO exponentially as demand increases.
Best Company Championing Women Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated: JLL shows clear leadership commitment to DEI, with impressive initiatives and a well-structured approach that ensures progress is both strategic and impactful.
None of it would have been possible without our sponsors
Sponsors and partners were essential to the success of the celebration. Platinum sponsor was Chubb Insurance, the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. Reinsurance Group of America (RGA) was gold sponsor and DLA Piper, the global law firm, and Goldman Sachs were silver sponsors. Century Supply Chain Solutions, The Executive Center, Jardine Schindler and J.P. Morgan Private Bank were bronze sponsors, while the Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel was venue parents and Wallbrook, part of Antithesis, was global risk advisor.
Supporting partners included the American Women’s Association, Community Business, The Women’s Foundation, and Women of Hong Kong.