Our 5th presentation at our annual forum, “Contemporary Women’s Issues,” on 13 April:

Women Invest: CSR and Women’s Buying Power

According to research, women are involved in 70-80% of consumption, be it through their buying power or their influence in purchasing decisions. This entails drastic amount of responsibility women around the world hold and the increasing importance for them to make smart and ethical investment decisions. This can range from the type of products they purchase at the supermarket to which companies to invest in. Given the significance women have on any economy, it is important for women to be aware of the impact we have and to ensure that the impact will be positive not just for the economy, but for environmental sustainability, ethical issues, and gender representation.

Rebecca Isjwara, co-chair of the BPW Hong Kong Women Invest taskforce, is a second-year full time Indonesian student in HKUST’s Global Business program. Growing up in the archipelago, she was convinced that some parts of the world needed changing, and that she would actively take part in doing so. She represented her country for international competitions in Brazil, Thailand, and UAE, and started her own business at the age of 15. She moved to Hong Kong when she was 18 to attend HKUST, where she has been actively involved in AIESEC, the university’s peer mentoring program, and is vice president of the newly-established “Women in Leadership” community.

Nina Soliva, co-chair of the BPW Hong Kong Women Invest taskforce: Originally from the Philippines, I’ve spent my entire life in Hong Kong. I’m currently undertaking a Bachelor in Business Administration majoring in Information Systems at HKUST. I’ve interned as a business analyst and business development consultant, and have been involved in more than five projects related to social entrepreneurship and technology innovation. I am interested in working as a management / strategy consultant, or business or operations analyst at an investment bank / hedge fund. My long-term goal is to merge my knowledge and experience in business and technology to found a technology company focused on improving the livelihood of populations in third world countries.

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Download the Complete Forum Programme: http://bit.ly/1SoATis

To Register: http://bit.ly/1SoATis

Our 4th presentation at our annual forum, “Contemporary Women’s Issues,” on 13 April:

The Power of Mentoring

The value of mentoring cannot be overstated, and is well supported by recent business literature and trends. In addition to the classic model, one recent business trend is for ‘reverse mentoring’ – younger-to-elder, typically based on rapidly changing business models and the integration of social media. From the BPW International website: “Mentoring is a learning process that involves a skilled or experienced person (the mentor) with a less experienced, less skilled person (the protégée, or mentee). The goal is to provide opportunities for the protégée to continually develop her skills and knowledge, thereby enhancing her success. Mentoring is based on the sharing of experiences. The protégée wants to learn from the experiences of the mentor. A mentor is not paid for her work.”

Dr Nora Hussin, Chair of the BPW Hong Kong Mentoring taskforce, is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology. Dr Nora received her PhD and Master in Applied Linguistics at the University of Hong Kong, and a Bachelor in English, Literature and Education at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. She manages and consults on business and corporate communications, and educational training for both adults and children. Driven, creative and innovative, Dr Nora focuses on empowerment through education.

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Download the Complete Forum Programme: http://bit.ly/1SoATis

To Register: http://bit.ly/1SoATis

Our 3rd presentation at our annual forum, “Contemporary Women’s Issues,” on 13 April:

Gender Parity and Equal Pay Day

No nation to date has achieved gender parity, despite many having related laws, though Iceland seems destined to soon be the first. In Hong Kong, the wage disparity is currently 16.7%, and while this is on the low end of the global spectrum, there is some concern that this inequality has actually be increasing over the past few years. Equal Pay Day is an annual initiative across the globe to bring greater awareness to this issue; the date in each location is calculated according to the local wage disparity, and signifies when in the calendar women “get out of the red” and begin to earn money, considering the difference between their wages and that of men. Equal Pay Day in Hong Kong is 02 March and the recent EPD project of BPW Hong Kong will be outlined.

Sindy Leung, BPW Hong Kong’s International Relations committee chair and Equal Pay Day project leader, is an account manager in prime brokerage with UBS AG. At the same time, she is an passionate contributor for the underprivileged. She is the current president of DragoNation – the alumni association of all programs of the Dragon Foundation with 15 chapters around the world, committee member of the youth service advisory committee, Youth Think Tank (Education and Employment) with Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, etc. She is a founding member of Tomorrow’s Youth Development Fund Ltd. which strives for upward social mobility and social diversity for young people, and is involved in District 89 of Toastmasters International.

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Download the Complete Forum Programme: http://bit.ly/1SoATis

To Register: http://bit.ly/1SoATis

Our 2nd presentation at our annual forum, “Contemporary Women’s Issues,” on 13 April:

Equality, Equity, Parity: Gender in the Workplace

The terms “gender equality,” “gender equity,” and “gender parity” are often used almost interchangeably, though their meanings are distinct. This presentation will: (1) clearly define the terms and their uses; (2) apply these concepts to the status of women in the workplace, including high-level management, corporate boards of directors, and government appointments; (3) review policy-making, both legal and corporate, for more gender-representative workplaces; (4) examine the pros and cons of quotas; and, (5) highlight current examples of such efforts both in Hong Kong and around the world. Finally, why and to whom this issue should matter, and ways to increase awareness and progress, will be explored.

Dr Anne Hilty, president of BPW Hong Kong, is a psychologist, writer, and director of EastWest Psyche ltd., a global consulting firm based in Hong Kong. From New York, she has lived in East Asia since 2005. Dr Anne, a long-time advocate for women, has been a member of BPW since 2011, serving (2011-2014) as International Congress / Program Coordinator, co-chair of Congress Ambassadors taskforce, and member of PR committee and Peace & Intercultural Understanding taskforce. Website: http://eastwestpsyche.com

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Download the Complete Forum Programme: http://bit.ly/1SoATis

To Register: http://bit.ly/1SoATis

Our 1st presentation at our annual forum, “Contemporary Women’s Issues,” on 13 April:

Feminine Principle and Paradigm Shift

What does it mean to be a woman in the 21^st century?  In the post feminist era where gender equality is high on the agenda of many women organizations and communities around the world, why has the progress been so slow? As our society is getting more and more complex, women in the 21^st century are playing multiple roles and facing all kinds of external demands as internal desires continue to increase. There are no doubt women are more complex than men in many ways, be it biologically or psychologically. While we are striving to expand our abilities for more or greater achievements are we truly satisfied in a deeper level as a woman? This talk will explore the deeper meaning to be feminine based on the universal and timeless feminine principles that could unleash the hidden power of each of us as we face unprecedented challenges of our current time.

Jo Fok, member of BPW Hong Kong, is a Broadcast TV producer, Meaningful Media Strategist and Educator. With broad experience producing content for international broadcasters and Fortune 500 companies, she founded Marshmallow Media in 2009 to focus her skills and talent on creating meaningful content for humanity. Recent productions include ‘Beach Life’, an original Discovery Network travel series exploring alternative ways of living. Passionate about holistic education, Jo is a Mindfulness teacher and facilitator of the Pachamama Alliance’s education program with its mission of environmentally sustainable, socially just and spiritually fulfilling human presence on our precious planet. She has also founded the first TEDxYouthDay in HK, now an annual event. Website: http://www.marshmallow-media.com

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Download the Complete Forum Programme: http://bit.ly/1SoATis

To Register: http://bit.ly/1SoATis

Our 1st annual forum is coming soon! Titled, “Contemporary Women’s Issues,” it features a number of speakers on a fascinating array of topics. Over this next week, we will be featuring each of the speakers and her presentation in this blog.

The forum will take place from 7-9pm at Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, 21/f, 119 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay. Registration is required: http://bit.ly/1SoATis.

If you prefer to download the full programme, rather than read it day-by-day in this blog, you can do so here: http://bit.ly/1PHab2v.

See you at the Forum!

We’ve just held our first HK Equal Pay Day, an annual event!

Equal Pay Day [EPD] is an event held around the world, on a different date in each location, to highlight gender disparity. The date, determined by formula used to calculate the number of working days, according to the gender-based wage inequality in a given area, that women are essentially ‘working for free’ each year. Women wear red, or red and black, at EPD events to indicate their having gone from ‘being in the red’ to ‘being in the black’ — i.e., beginning to ‘earn’ for that calendar year.

In Hong Kong, the pay disparity is currently 16.7% [i.e., women are paid, on average, 16.7% less than men for comparable work], rendering the EPD 02 March — in other words, for the first two months of the year, women work ‘without pay’.

Of particular note in Hong Kong: although a 16.7% wage gap is smaller than that of many places in the world — this disparity has actually been widening since 2011, rather than decreasing.

For our 2016 EPD event, BPWHK members and guests conducted a focus group on the topic of gender disparity in Hong Kong, analysing both problem and solutions. Our EPD project leader, Sindy Leung, will also provide a public presentation on this topic at our upcoming International Women’s Day Forum on Saturday, 05 March, as well as a followup report to be sent to the Women’s Commission of HK government.

Please join us at next year’s EPD event, which takes a different form each year!

 

New Year Greetings, Hong Kong -style!

As we begin the Year of the Monkey, our members are celebrating the holiday with family, travel, or much-needed relaxation. And then, just in time for spring: we have many upcoming events!

The new year kicks off with the first of our Young Leaders Forum Series, under the direction of Project Leader Judy Tam: “Business Startups” will take place on Wednesday, 17 February, held at HKBU. Speakers include our own Quin Thong of Ana by Karma, Anita Cheung of i-Detox, and Mary Barbara Hanna of Look Left.

Then on 02 March, we hold our annual HK Equal Pay Day event, to bring awareness to gender disparity (in Hong Kong, at 16.7%). Under Project Leader Sindy Leung, we will hold 3 simultaneous focus groups on the topic of equal pay, and generate a followup report to be delivered to HK Women’s Commission. In Central, Tsim Sha Tsui, and Causeway Bay.

International Women’s Day is observed annually on 08 March; guided by Project Leader Devi Novianti, our IWD Forum takes place on 05/03 at Preston Training Center in North Point. We’ve 6 speakers on a variety of innovative topics related to improving the status of women, including business and pay, empowerment of girls, the connection of gender and environment, and more.

On the 19th of March, we offer our first Global Skills Training Programme [Basic Level]. This training includes 3 tracks — Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Intercultural — and, under the guidance of Global Skills Taskforce Chair Dorothy Tsui, has been developed / reviewed by 8 of our members, all of whom have professional training experience. In this age of globalisation, we can all benefit from this training programme.

And, of course, for our members: we will hold our MONTHLY MEETING on Wednesday, 09 March, the theme of which is “The Power of Mentoring” led by Mentoring Taskforce Chair Nora Hussin who is joined by her team. This is the official launch of our mentoring programme, so if you are interested in becoming a mentor and/or mentee –> be sure to attend!

We have 57 members now — 21 of them Young BPW-HK — and we encourage everyone to recommend our organisation to your friends and colleagues!

Kung Hei Fat Choi — Happy and Prosperous Year of the clever, resourceful, and playful Monkey to all!

 

Happy New Year

from BPW Hong Kong!

We ‘accomplished greatness’ in 2014 with the renewal of BPW in Hong Kong, following a year’s hard work. Now, our 50 members — including 17 Young BPW, 9 ExCo, and 12 additional leaders plus 3 advisors — are busily preparing our projects and programmes!

Highlights for 2016:

We will hold an International Womens’ Day Forum, open to the public, on Saturday 05 March;

Our Girl Power Hong Kong! project-to-programme, funded by the HK government Women’s Commission and in collaboration with the HK Education Bureau, will be launched in February;

We will have our first Global Skills training session, designed by our own BPW Hong Kong Global Skills Taskforce, on Saturday March 19;

Young BPW-HK will hold a Young Professionals Forum Series, 5-6 times during the year;

We’re developing both our Women Invest and our Mother Earth taskforces, as well as our Mentoring programme — including, Reverse Mentoring;

AND, We’ll twin with 6 BPW clubs on 5 continents!

And Much More! Come Join the Excitement! Become Empowered, with BPW Hong Kong!

Hong Kong is proving a popular destination for our global BPW sisterhood!

In November we had the pleasure of hosting Jacqueline Piotaz [BPW Switzerland – Zurich], followed by Marcellina Defuns [BPW Switzerland – Davos];

And in December, Christine Heinz [BPW Germany – Frankfurt] returns to Hong Kong (our startup committee members will recall meeting her on a previous visit to Hong Kong last April); Min Jung [BPW Korea – Jeju] will also visit, as will Giselle Rufer [BPW Switzerland – Jura];

Then in January, Carol Hanlon [BPW Australia – Perth] returns to HK (some members will recall that she spoke at our July formative meeting); and, a small group of BPW Korea – Jeju Island members will visit us!

We’re traveling, too: our Twinning Taskforce Chair, Liza Yew, will visit Kathmandu in December and will represent us when hosted by BPW Nepal; Project Leader and Young BPW-HK member Sindy Leung will be hosted by BPW Singapore.

A global sisterhood! If you’re a member of BPW-HK and want to meet our guests, watch for our news bulletins (or check the Members-Only section of our website); if you’re traveling and wish to connect with BPW in other areas, please let ExCo know and we’ll arrange contact. After all: BPW has members in more than 100 countries over 5 continents!