Girls of Energy 2023: Advisor’s Letter

It’s been my honour to be invited back by Prestige this year as the Advisor for the Women of Power 2023 initiative.

Looking back to last year, I was completely inspired, impacted and in awe of the genuine power, energy and dynamism of that evening’s celebration, and witnessed how incredible it was to have hundreds of Hong Kong’s leading female trailblazers, all in one room, to gather, network and be united together as an empowered community – and all for the greater good of Hong Kong. That beautiful room and moment are etched in my memory, especially as last year we were still coming out of Covid – in fact, Women of Power 2022 really lifted us all out of any left-over doom and gloom from the previous challenging years, and into bright light, confidence, strength and optimism.

Going from strength to strength, Prestige held the inaugural Women of Power Summit last June, with a programme of exceptional keynote speakers and panel discussions that gripped the attention of a packed ballroom audience. I was delighted to be asked to introduce one of the speakers, and again I was completely blown away by the genuine sharing, authentic discussions, which sometimes concerned difficult topics. Most importantly, I was struck by the way in which Prestige created a “safe space” for all members of our community, women and men, to come together to tackle and address tough topics in such a meaningful way, and how everyone was moved, inspired and, for sure, impacted in some way, shape or form.

Working with Prestige managing director and publisher, Oceana Ou, and her incredible young and energetic team again has been a sheer joy. The nomination process for Women of Power was truly a collective collaboration and I was humbled to be invited to join in that process, openly share my views, propose nominees as an ally of women, and engage with the team on many meaningful discussions. Our meetings were always so uplifting to me, as I heard so passionately from the editorial team members about why they proposed each nominee, from an array of different professions, industries, backgrounds and ethnicities, all of whom were exploring new frontiers, helping the Hong Kong community through so many ground-breaking platforms, or inventing and creating new opportunities, with a universal love of the city that’s our home and its people. I might be the “advisor” on this project, but I think I learned more from Oceana and her team than vice versa.

As to this year’s list of nominees, all have and continue that wonderful spirit, momentum, and vision from the previous years’ Women of Power alumni. What I look forward to is again being lucky enough to be invited to the celebration and to be with these amazing women of Hong Kong, who are leading the way for a very bright future, forging positive pathways and partnerships, and creating opportunities for the empowerment of women, and for the overall betterment of everyone in our home.

On a personal note, I’m especially delighted that one of this year’s nominees is my first mentor and boss in Hong Kong, who gave me my first job back in 1996. She’s led so many people in their careers – and continues to do so – and really instilled in me the faith to embark on my career path all those decades ago. (I’ll let you guess who that person is!) 

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Many congratulations to all Women of Power 2023 nominees and, again, many congratulations to Prestige for this very meaningful endeavour for Hong Kong. 

Keep going!