FS's keynote speech at Women Chief Executives Summit 2025 (with photos/video)
Following is the keynote speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the Women Chief Executives Summit 2025 today (November 3):
Bonnie (Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), Ms Bonnie Chan), Mary (Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong and Greater China & North Asia, Standard Chartered, Ms Mary Huen), Amy (Co-Head of Wealth Management Asia Pacific, Head and Chief Executive of UBS Hong Kong, Ms Amy Lo), distinguished women chief executives from around the world, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning. It is a true privilege to join you at the inaugural Women Chief Executives Summit, right here in Hong Kong.
A very warm welcome to each of you - nearly 200 C-suite leaders from across the globe. Your presence here speaks volumes about the growing leadership of women in business.
This first Summit arrives at the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration - a bold, visionary agenda for advancing women's empowerment. Three decades later, it continues to challenge us to ask: How far have we come? And what kind of future are we building?
The theme of this Summit is a powerful and timely response, as we work together to build a future with greater inclusivity, driven by innovation and defined by impact.
Inclusivity
No doubt, inclusivity is the bedrock of lasting progress.
It is my firm belief that inclusivity is best manifested when people are judged by meritocracy, by their values, by content of their character, regardless of gender, race or background.
The journey of women in Hong Kong has been one of accelerating achievement. Women now make up more than half of our population and are transforming every arena of society.
As highlighted in the recent KPMG report in collaboration with WCE and the Women's Foundation, Hong Kong is making great strides in expanding gender leadership in finance. Since 2018, we've seen double-digit growth in female representation both in senior leadership roles and on corporate boards.
And I'm also pleased to note that according to the report, Hong Kong ranks top for societal acceptance of female leaders, and some 70 per cent of women feel encouraged to lead. And we are doing well in safety as well as in infrastructure for enabling work-life balance, too.
Now, more than half of our solicitors and professional accountants are women - a leap from just 30 per cent two decades ago.
On our campuses, nearly 60 per cent of students majoring in business and management are women. These are not just statistics - they are the future market-makers, fintech innovators, and next-generation CEOs.
Yet, the progress may be uneven. As your report shows, some industries are moving faster than others. I believe that the key to further improvement lies in providing equal opportunities and ample exposure for both men and women, allowing their potential to be fully unleashed and abilities properly recognised and appreciated.
That is the direction that the Government is taking.
Our "She Inspires" Mentorship Programme, launched earlier this year, is a good example. It aims at cultivating the next generation of women leaders. I am pleased to share that we have already matched over 80 aspiring female university students with some 50 of Hong Kong's most accomplished women leaders.
I see many of the mentors here today - thank you for sharing your time, experience and wisdom so generously. You are shaping the leaders of tomorrow.
And we are just getting started. As announced in the recent Policy Address, the programme will be expanded by 50 per cent next year, bringing the next cohort to 120 mentees.
But let us be clear: true inclusivity cannot be achieved by government alone. It demands a whole-of-society commitment.
I'm encouraged by the progress we're seeing. A notable example is the HKEX's mandate to phase out single-gender boards. Today, nearly all listed companies in Hong Kong have at least one female board member.
But this should not be a matter of checking boxes. It must be a recognition that diversity is strength, instrumental to sound governance, innovation and resilience.
Resilience and creativity
This brings us exactly to the second point - the value that women can add to an organisation.
The point I try to make is not to stereotype men or women. They both bring a wealth of perspectives that are shaped by their respective social, cultural and professional backgrounds and experiences. It is the combination of such perspectives and experiences that will give organisations a more complete approach to problem-solving, enabling better management and performance.
Research consistently shows that organisations with diverse leadership, including women at the helm, are more agile, more empathetic, more creative and better equipped to achieve long-term success.
Each of you in this room is living proof. I'm sure in the ensuing discussions many of you will be able to tell how gender-diverse leadership makes a real impact.
Closing: Lighting the way forward
Ladies and gentlemen, as we gather here, I cannot better conclude than with a quote by Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Facebook: "In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders."
On that note, I wish this Summit every success, and for all of you, the best of health and business. And by the way, please do mark your diary for December 7, LegCo Election. Thank you very much.
FS's keynote speech at Women Chief Executives Summit 2025 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
FS's keynote speech at Women Chief Executives Summit 2025 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
