An awards ceremony, by definition, celebrates past achievements. Congratulations, back-slapping and a little welcome self-indulgence tend to be the order of the day. It's a time to relax and put the challenges and issues of the day to one side.
Not so in the sixth Hong Kong Women of Influence (WOI) Awards, presented last Friday at the Four Seasons Hotel by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) and the South China Morning Post.
The achievements of Hong Kong's outstanding professional women were celebrated in due style, but in the context of a half-day conference on 'Vision, Strategy, Leadership in Challenging Times'.
The focus was unerringly on action and on working to make tomorrow's workplace a more conducive environment for women to achieve their leadership potential.
'There have been huge strides made in the past 50 years, but organisations such as WOI are still necessary. Women, particularly when they rise up the ranks, are not as well represented as men are in the workforce. There's more work to be done, both in organisations and also individually, with women who can aspire to leadership,' said Maura Fallon, chief executive of executive advising and coaching firm Fallon International and chairwoman of the Women of Influence committee at AmCham. The committee was set up six years ago to 'promote professional women's leadership and aims to help close the gender gap in the workplace in Hong Kong' and the mainland.
In addition to the awards, it offers members leadership development, networking and business opportunities, informal mentoring and support and educational programmes.
