Do you have any mentors?
[Tatler’s Asia’s Most Influential honouree and sustainability advocate] Christine Loh is a mentor of mine. More than 20 years ago, when I was debating setting up my first NGO, Community Business, she said: “It’s easy to have an idea—now go and execute it.” This really made me pull up my socks. I now believe that talk is cheap and action speaks volumes.

How has your foundation tackled racial discrimination in the city?
We have raised awareness of race discrimination at schools, universities, companies and NGOs through our Institute of Racial Equality Hong Kong [which provides racial equality training]. We put Hong Kong’s racial inequality on the corporate diversity and inclusion map by hosting a bi-annual Racial Equality in Hong Kong conference. The next one will be in March. We also developed the Anti-Racism Toolkit for individuals and companies to address the deep-seated racism in the local Chinese community. Ethnic minorities here want to be known as Hongkongers— they do not like the term ethnic minority, as it makes them feel like outsiders. Ethnic minorities are Hong Kong people—they are just not of Chinese descent.

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How do you plan to develop The Zubin Foundation over the next five years?
Our focus at The Zubin Foundation has been on improving the lives of ethnic minorities by helping them with direct services, such as therapy for special needs children, placement of jobs and scholarships, and assisting women and girls in crisis. We will continue this. I would also like us to do much more work with the Chinese population by enhancing their knowledge about ethnic minorities and encouraging more inclusion. We need the majority to be champions for the minority in Hong Kong, in order for it to be an inclusive city.

What is one surprising thing about you that most people don’t know?
I had to fight really hard to go to university. There were many tears—and years of negotiating. It was my family’s belief that marriage was the ultimate aim of every woman; and if I was university-educated, no man would marry me, because I would be even more argumentative. I did ultimately end up going to The London School of Economics.

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