Cover In Hong Kong, many ambitious women have break the glass ceiling in a wide range of male-dominated industries (Photo: Getty Images)
In Hong Kong, many ambitious women have break the glass ceiling in a wide range of male-dominated industries (Photo: Getty Images)
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Members of the Tatler community share with us the women they admire, and who inspired them to pursue their dreams
Over the past decades, the roles and rights of women have changed tremendously. (But make no mistake: there is still a long way to go!) Part of the reason we’ve made such great strides is because leadership and mentoring positions are no longer restricted to just men; more women are able to rise and the lift up others coming behind them. In Hong Kong, many ambitious women have shattered the glass ceiling in a wide range of previously male-dominated industries, including high cuisine, business, culture and health.
Recently, we spoke to some prominent women of our Tatler community, including Leigh Tung-Chou and Michelle Ong, who shared pearls of wisdom and stories about the mothers, sisters, friends and colleagues who have given them the courage to believe in themselves and fight on for all women.
You might also like: International Women’s Day 2023: How to navigate work, wellbeing and growth
May Chow, chef founder of Little Bao and Happy Paradise
I was fortunate enough to [meet] many successful women, including Jane Fonda, Marisa Yiu, Betty Ng, Dominique Crenn, Prudence Chan, May Ma, Vicky Lau and Pía León. It’s important to notice the shared mindset of these women: they are forever learning from people of different backgrounds and ages. They are humble and accept challenges. They never feel sorry for themselves and they bounce back.
Michelle Ma-Chan, co-founder and executive director of Fancl
My role model is my mother-in-law, who is also my godmother. She has successfully balanced her family, career and her wellbeing. She has five children and has always made family her first priority. She is also a bridge in her husband’s company, and an emotionally intelligent person who is able to navigate the needs and emotions of her female staff.
Heidi Lee, executive director of the Hong Kong Ballet
My grandmother was born into a very wealthy family and was well-educated. She later married my grandfather, a descendant of a Song dynasty emperor.
The cultural revolution forced them to take refuge in Hong Kong with their seven children, and she became the family breadwinner. Although life was tough, she devoted herself selflessly to her family.
Her spirit has greatly influenced me, and I hope I've inherited her virtuousness. She’s my hero.
Michelle Ong, director and creative head of Carnet Jewellery, and chairman of First Initiative Foundation
My mother. She really held her own as a doctor in a male dominated environment.
She was one of three female gynecologist-obstetricians in all of Hong Kong in her time, [and she proved] that women can achieve just as much as men.
Read more: Michelle Ong, David Cheung and their children talk family values
Candice Chan-Chao, founder of J Candice Interior Architects
My mother, who is also a working-mum, has had a significant impact on my mindset and work ethic.
She exudes positivity and assertiveness. She is constantly learning and she is a woman of many talents: not only is she a registered nurse, she also ran a stocks and securities brokerage and a wedding banquet chain in Hong Kong.
She is not afraid to change and is constantly learning and adapting.
Angelina Kwan, CEO of Stratford Finance
Above Angelina Kwan (Photo: courtesy of Angelina Kwan)
Angelina Kwan (Photo: courtesy of Angelina Kwan)
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[Lawyer] Deborah Glass is one of my closest friends, mentors, advisers, and certainly one of the most ethical, courageous, brave, hardworking, loving and supportive human beings I know.
I admire that her moral compass always points North and that she has no fear to do the most difficult, yet interesting things that no one else could or would take on. As the commissioner of the Independent Police Complaints Commission of the UK, she reopened the Hillsborough disaster [case, in which there was a fatal human crush during a football match] where 1,997 deaths occurred.
She brought justice to the victims, prosecutions for the coverups, and charges against those who caused the disaster. In some ways, she was one of the reasons I became a regulator and she has given me career and life advice throughout all of the years I have known her.
She always has time to support me and gets on my case when I am not taking care of myself.
Ming Ho-Tang, director of corporate development of Li & Fung
The woman that inspires me the most is my mother.
Despite her humble beginnings, she is always optimistic even during the most difficult situations. She is adaptable to new environments and is willing to try new things.
She works hard but also plays hard.
Read more: Meet Ming Ho-Tang, Hong Kong Tatler’s Most Stylish Woman Of 2018
Leigh Tung-Chou, board governor for the Hong Kong Ballet; director of the Tung Foundation
I [was at] a university board meeting in the US [earlier this year], where one of the women [I met] is a long-time board member.
She is an older woman who runs a very successful family foundation. She threw us a “women of the board” welcome dinner at her home and proceeded to introduce each woman on the board and list their accomplishments, both big and small.
She also asked us to go around the table to answer the question, “what would you tell your 21-year-old self?” Both these activities immediately created a warm and trusting environment which allowed us to create bonds with one another.
Her mantra is that women must lift each other up. This has had a big impact on me.
Gigi Chao, founder, Faith In Love Foundation
The easy answer is always a family matriarch like a mother or a grandmother. I’ve given many public speeches that talk about my great-grandmother who had bound feet, and my grandmother who went to university to study law at a time when Chinese women rarely even left the walls of their abode.
So for the sake of not being repetitive, I will say: Rose, a young lady that was abandoned by her parents and grew up in a children’s home in Hong Kong. Rose is one of the scholars that my foundation Faith in Love sponsored through the years, supporting her education and development.
Against terrible odds in a city that’s known for our worship of pedigrees and family ties, Rose managed to get into Hong Kong University to study social work. She is cheerful, adorable, honest and unashamed of her origins. For that and more, she inspires me.
