The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong’s (AmCham) 16th Women of Influence Awards were held in Hong Kong on 12 November 2019 in recognition of female career accomplishments and others who support the empowerment of women. The conference theme was ‘Insights from the Edge, Pushing Boundaries and Unconventional Thinking’.
Organised by AmCham, the WOI conference is one of the most established women’s symposiums in the Asia Pacific region. This year’s theme focused on stories of perseverance, risk-taking and leadership from outside the confines of the corporate world. The awards confer accolades on individuals and organisations who have made exceptional achievements and a steadfast commitment to supporting female leadership in business.
The following awardees in seven categories were announced at a ceremony:
Professional of the Year
Puja Kapai
Associate Professor of Law and Convenor, Women’s Studies Research Centre
The University of Hong Kong
Leading Woman on Boards
Irene Lee
Executive Chairman
Hysan Development Company Limited
Entrepreneur of the Year
Geetanjali Dhar
Founder & Director
Sanskriti Global
Master of the Arts
Katie de Tilly
Founder & Director
10 Chancery Lane Gallery
Non-Profit Leader of the Year
Dr. Judith Longstaff Mackay, SBS, OBE, JP, MBChB (Edin), FRCP (Edin), FRCP (Lon)
Senior Policy Advisor, WHO
Senior Advisor, Vital Strategies / Bloomberg Initiative
Young Achiever of the Year
Dr. Cathy N.P. Lui
CEO, OPER Technology Limited &
Alumna, Hong Kong Baptist University
Leading Woman in STEM
Prof. Nancy Ip
Vice President for Research and Development
The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology
Alongside the female winners, the following two award categories were also honoured:
Champion for the Advancement of Women
Michael M. Manio, MD, MHPED, PhD
Founder & Program Director, EmpowerU, The University of Hong Kong
Best Company for Women
Equinix
In addition to delegates and award-winners, the conference was also attended by a number of hosts and speakers all showing their support for female leadership in business. The morning keynote speaker was Emilie Bydwell, High Performance Director, Women of USA rugby. She spoke about the intersectionality of women leaders across all sectors of business. After the event, Bydwell said, “It was a real privilege to be the keynote speaker at today’s conference. We have put so much emphasis on the development of our culture in our women’s programs in the last 14 months.”
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
