Exceptional Female Leaders Honored at AmCham’s 19th Women of Influence Awards
Hong Kong – February 22, 2023 – Eight female leaders and a leading company championing women were honored yesterday at the 19th Women of Influence Awards (“the WOI Awards”) (「最具影響力女性」獎項), which was organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (“AmCham”) at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong.
The WOI Awards is one of the most established women’s award ceremony in the Asia Pacific region. The theme of this year’s Awards, “Reimagining a Sustainable Future for Women,” seamlessly aligns with the theme of 2023 International Women's Day, “Embrace Equity.” The theme invites all women and their allies to make the world a more equitable place, creating sustainable pathways for the growth of women from all walks of life, advocating for those most underrepresented, and inspiring the community to reimagine what the future for women looks like. The Awards honor individuals and organizations in Hong Kong who have achieved exceptional goals and have a steadfast commitment to supporting female leadership inside and outside the workplace in Hong Kong.
“As we begin to see light at the end of the COVID tunnel, the WOI wants to help everyone leverage new opportunities that have resulted from COVID-19 and to take advantage of a new-found open-mindedness to focus on how we can work to make Hong Kong a more welcoming place and to create a sustainable future path for all women,” said Marcia Ellis, Partner, Global Chair of the Private Equity Group and Member of the Board of Directors at Morrison & Foerster LLP and Co-chair of the WOI committee.
This year, over 150 women, allies, and organizations were nominated for the impressive and impactful initiatives they support. A new award – Woman Champion of Disadvantaged Groups & Minorities – was also presented to directly address sustainability and the pandemic.
“From programs focused on supporting minority and refugee communities in Hong Kong, to women working to support the homeless and the elderly, to promoting advocacy for the LGBTQ community – the amount of ‘good’ being done and the positive impact it is having on our Hong Kong community is enormous,” said Chelsea Perino, Managing Director, Global Marketing & Communications at The Executive Centre and Co-chair of the WOI committee.
The following winners in eight categories were announced:
Young Change Maker
Stephanie Ng
Founder and Executive Director
Body Banter
Woman Entrepreneur / Non-Profit Leader
Sarah Borwein
Private Practice Physician
Woman Change Maker in Sports
Samantha Scott
Chief Operations Officer
Valley Rugby Football Club Limited
Woman Change Maker in STEM
Vivian Lou
Professor and Director
Sau Po Centre on Ageing, HKU
Leading Woman Director / Executive
Lily Cheng
Independent Non-Executive Director of Swire Properties
Chow Tai Fook Jewellery, Octopus Cards, Sunevision
Champion for Women
Mary McHale
Director, Strategic Accounts APAC;
Global Steering Committee Member & APAC Region;
Chapter Lead of Equinix Women’s Leadership Network
Equinix
Felicity McRobb
Founder
McRobb Consulting
Woman Champion of Disadvantaged Groups and Minorities
Manisha Wijesinghe
Executive Director
HELP for Domestic Workers
Best Company Championing Women
HSBC
The Awards was attended by over 300 senior business male and female executives in person. This year’s event was generously sponsored by Goldman Sachs (Asia) LLC, RGA Reinsurance Company Hong Kong Branch, Telstra, Uber, Morrison Foerster, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, The Estée Lauder Companies Asia Pacific, NordVPN, as well as Wallbrook (Global Risk Advisor), and Two Birds Communications (Communications Partner).
Many thanks also to supporting organizations American Women’s Association of Hong Kong, Community Business, Female Entrepreneurs Worldwide, Hong Kong Federation of Business Students, Inspiring Girls Hong Kong, The Women Entrepreneurs Network, The Women’s Foundation, and Women of Hong Kong.
Below are a few photos taken at the event:
