2023 – Two Steps Forward

Grace Cheng – The invisible second patient: Finding joy in caregiving

At a young age, Grace unexpectedly became the primary caregiver for her grandparents. Her talk explores the importance of preparation and support to help transform the often-arduous caregiving journey into a meaningful and fulfilling experience. In Grace’s view, even as caregiving presents difficulties, it can also be a positive experience that is injected with moments of joy and connection. As all of us will likely go through the experience of caregiving, Grace’s talk will provide insightful guidance on how to be equipped for this often-overlooked yet inevitable part of life.

Grace Cheng is passionate about creating meaningful social impact. After graduating in Social Sciences from the University of Hong Kong, Grace joined an ambitious social enterprise, Fair Employment Agency, with the mission to end the forced labor of migrant domestic workers. At 26, she stepped into the role of General Manager to lead the organization through the turbulent 3-year COVID-19 pandemic.

Raised by her grandparents, she has always had a special connection with older adults. Through providing care to her grandparents in their final years, she has firsthand experience of the challenges faced by family caregivers. Earlier this year, she founded Agewhale, a start-up to transform elderly care through innovative solutions.

Eny Bawse – Supporting your home support system

Eny’s talk offers a compelling glimpse into her life, starting from a rural village in Indonesia to becoming a domestic worker in Hong Kong; her story sheds light on the unique challenges faced by domestic helpers, who are some of the most vital yet too often underappreciated members of our society. Eny’s involvement with domestic workers’ well-being sparked her mission to amplify their voices and advocate for change. This talk uncovers the key elements contributing to a positive working relationship and serves as a heartfelt call to appreciate and respect those caring for our families.

With 20 years of working experience as a domestic worker, Eny realized the difficulties domestic workers face in accessing mental health care in Hong Kong; this experience inspired her to fund Self Love Cupid, to advocate and educate the domestic worker community on mental wellbeing.

Eny has overcome many hardships and gained valuable perspectives on life. Her goal is to use her experience to guide women to “think like a Warrior and feel like a Goddess”. Eny finds solace in writing and is currently working on her first children’s book.

Laurena Law – Muscle your way through midlife, menopause and beyond

We all want to live a long, pain-free life, don’t we? Women live, on average, four years longer than men, so they need to go through the hurdles of ageing. Dr Laurena Law highlights a pressing concern women face as they navigate menopause: sarcopenia.

She reveals how the disciplined practice of weight training can effectively combat fractures, alleviate menopausal challenges, enhance self-confidence, and sharpen cognitive abilities.

Don’t miss this urgent call to action to protect the body and empower generations of women to thrive through menopause and beyond.

Dr Laurena Law is a medical doctor who has worked in Hong Kong and Australia, focusing on women’s health through menopause and midlife. She has also worked as a fitness professional and an athlete representing Hong Kong in Muay Thai Fitness and has competed in the Hong Kong Powerlifting Championship, placing first in her bench press category.

She is a dog lover, health blogger and co-founder of Choy Sum Health Clinic, where she and her husband combine spirituality with science for healthy longevity. By utilising health technology and lifestyle medicine, she empowers her patients to take a proactive, precise and personalised approach to optimal health and resilience.

Jen Lam – The world needs authentic drama queens

Jen believes that the power of storytelling has the potential to ignite empathy and inspire change. Her pursuit of authenticity became her mission as she delved into the depths of her vulnerability and identity as an Asian woman to connect with audiences on a profound level. In this solo performance, Jen reflects, with humor and tenderness, how ordinary stories can connect and inspire people effectively through true stories from her friends.

This passionate exploration of the human experience challenges us to embrace our “inner Drama Queen” or “Drama King” and unleash the authentic storytellers within.

Jen Lam is an actor, writer and director. She studied Theatre and Arts in the US and Australia before completing her MA in Arts and Cultural Enterprise at Central Saint Martins, London.

Jen’s portfolio includes the Woman Solo Series “A Diary Of A Girl’s Happiness” (8th run), “Call Me If You Love Me”, “11520”, “My First Bra Talks”, “See You When I See You” and “Table for Two”. Jen has also participated in “An Invitation: On Empty Theatre”, co-presented by Freespace, West Kowloon and Edward Lam Dance Theatre, and co-produced a woman solo translated work “Girls and Boys”. In 2022, the International Association of Theatre Critics (Hong Kong) nominated her for the Performer of the Year award.

Natalie Chung – The case for building cities’ climate resilience, now

Climate advocate Natalie Chung reflects on the urgency of climate action and intensifying extreme weather events. Recognising the immense potential of oceans in solving our climate crisis, Natalie draws on inspiration from the ocean-climate resolutions, advising concrete steps for Hong Kong to build resilience and protect the oceans, our valuable ally in facing future climate disasters.

Inspired by Hong Kong-native Dr Rebecca Lee, who visited the world’s “three poles”, Natalie has established herself as a climate advocate and social entrepreneur. In 2015, she co-founded V’air, a start-up promoting sustainable tourism to enhance public climate literacy.

Serving at the Council for Carbon Neutrality and Sustainable Development and the Green Tech Fund Assessment Committee of the Hong Kong Government, Natalie is accelerating carbon neutrality through research informing policies in Hong Kong and mainland China.

In 2021, Natalie was recognized by the Japan Times and Eco-Business as one of the most impactful youth climate leaders driving change in Asia. In 2023, she was elected as the only Hong Kong representative on the Dr Sylvia Earle Antarctic Climate Expedition, advocating for climate policies at the intersection of ocean conservation alongside 110 renowned marine biologists, climate researchers and policymakers.

Henry Tse – How one letter could change a life

Henry’s talk sheds light on the daily struggles and discrimination faced by the transgender community in Hong Kong. He will share his experience fighting a six-year battle to change the law and allow transgender people to change the gender marker on their identification documents. Henry emphasizes the importance of having an ID that reflects one’s true identity and highlights what more needs to be done to achieve gender inclusivity in Asia allowing trans individuals to live without fear of discrimination.

As an LGBT+ activist, Henry Tse has extensive experience in sharing stories from the LGBT+ community both locally in Hong Kong and overseas. In 2020, he founded an NGO called Transgender Equality Hong Kong which campaigns on a range of trans rights issues, having a particular focus on supporting disadvantaged groups such as ethnic minorities and people with disabilities. Henry leverages his personal story as a vehicle to push for gender recognition legislation.

Henry is the 2018 Community Business Transgender Inclusion Champion, a 2023 TIME Next Generation Leader, and a 2023 Tatler Gen.T Honouree. In 2020, he received the Pam Baker Human Rights Scholarship of LLM (Human Rights) Programme at the University of Hong Kong.

Maaike Steinebach – Women’s health can no longer wait

The startling facts regarding lack of funding and research towards women’s health is at a critical junction. While small steps are being made we are still significantly dragging in Asia, an area where women’s health is surrounded in taboo and stigma. FemTech is a new dominant force that is using technology and data to make a real impact on women’s health. Maaike’s talk will look at the latest developments that are the driving force of this industry in Asia and how you can support and advocate to help close the gender health gap.

Maaike is on a mission to improve Women’s Health in Asia and believes technology is here to accelerate this. After 25 years in financial services and technology, most recently as CEO of Visa Hong Kong & Macau, Maaike joined FemTech Association Asia as co-CEO to build the first membership-based femtech industry network and advisory in Asia.

Maaike is an advisor and investor to a number of sextech start-ups, including Sextech School, an immersive course into the sextech industry, and Nancy, Asia’s first pleasure platform for women between the ages of 18 and 35 with limited to no sexual education or experience. She is also an advisor to Hong Kong’s period care provider LUÜNA Naturals, and digital employee engagement platform MixCare Health.

Maaike enjoys connecting people and building communities; she is one of the founders of the Fintech Association of Hong Kong and Women In Tech Hong Kong, set up to ensure more visibility and participation of women in the tech space.

Sacha Yasumoto – Fear of the abandoned, love of the fear

During the COVID lockdown, Sacha embarked on an urban exploration journey. In Hong Kong’s abandoned buildings, she unearthed captivating remnants of history and enigmatic tales, immersing herself in a distinct subculture with its own code of conduct. Sacha’s photographs and findings have ignited people’s imaginations, providing fresh outlets for her creative expression. Yet, the exhilaration of urban exploring also entails peril, encompassing snakes, insects, and structural risks. Nevertheless, curiosity holds the potential for unforeseen rewards.

Sacha Yasumoto, an accomplished interior designer, philanthropist, adventurer, and mother, found an unexpected passion during the COVID-19 pandemic embarking on urban explorations of her beloved city, Hong Kong. Led to remarkable discoveries, she has confronted unanticipated fears as she chronicled the city’s deserted and abandoned sites.

Sacha’s journey turned into a mission to raise awareness for structures at risk of being lost to urban development. Her photos serve as a preservation effort, capturing and piecing together the stories of these iconic buildings while also being captivated by the poignant personal belongings and snapshots of life left behind.

Septime Webre – Ballet as your magic mirror

Art is at its most powerful when people see themselves in it. Hong Kong Ballet Artistic Director, Septime Webre discusses the evolving roles of women in ballet, and the power of works which reflects the specificity of a particular place. Sure, ballets can be about swans, and girls in Bavaria dying of a broken heart. But they can also reflect the world around us in more direct and powerful ways – artists hold up a mirror to the audience and show them the world as it could be. And in doing so, they are showing the audience a vision of their ideal selves.

Septime Webre is an internationally recognised ballet director, choreographer, educator and advocate. He joined the Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) as its Artistic Director in July 2017 after 17 years as Artistic Director of The Washington Ballet (US) and 6 years as Artistic Director for the American Repertory Ballet in Princeton (US).

Much sought-after as a choreographer, Septime’s works appear in the repertoires of ballet companies globally; his latest creations for HKB, Romeo + Juliet, set in 1960s Hong Kong, and The Nutcracker, set in Hong Kong in 1915, world-premiered in June 2021 and December 2021 respectively. The latter work also won him Outstanding Choreography at the 2022 Hong Kong Dance Awards.