Desiree Au
Publisher, Time Out Hong Kong
Desiree has spent 15 years in Hong Kong media. She is currently the publisher of Time Out Hong Kong, part of an international network of city magazines covering 41 cities from London to New York to Dubai, as well as a communications consultant. She started her career from the ground up, working as a features reporter for the Hong Kong Standard, before becoming their youngest features editor at age 27. Desiree then spent six years with the SCMP, holding the positions of Arts Editor, Post Magazine editor and launch editor of their first monthly glossy, STYLE. Concurrent with her position at Time Out Hong Kong, Desiree served as an editorial consultant for a luxury quarterly for Bloomberg BusinessWeek in China, titled Executive Life, for two years. She was born in Hong Kong and educated in the US.
Rachel Cartland
Director, Cartland Consulting
Former Assistant Director of Social Welfare, Hong Kong Government
Upon graduating from the University of Oxford in 1972, Rachel joined the Hong Kong Government and subsequently served in a variety of senior posts given wide exposure to policy formulation processes, management and the Hong Kong political scene. She possesses extensive experience in the Government Secretariat in specialty areas including broadcasting, arts and culture policy. In 1995, Rachel was appointed Assistant Director of Social Welfare (Social Security) managing 2000 staff and an annual budget of HK$25 billion; there she delivered a socially critical service of high political sensitivity, impacting all sectors of grassroots Hong Kong. Programs included CSSA, 'Support for Self-Reliance', Computerised Social Security System, the Criminal and Law Enforcement Injuries Compensation Scheme and the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Scheme. Rachel worked at the Education and Manpower Bureau in 2001-2 and left the Hong Kong Government in 2006 to set up Cartland Consulting, which specialises in public sector consulting.
Christina Gaw
Managing Principal and Head of Capital Markets, Gaw Capital
Christina has spent 15 years in the investment banking industry with Goldman Sachs for almost 9 years and UBS for another 6 years holding various senior positions in equities and prime brokerage divisions. She left UBS as a Managing Director and joined the private equity side in real estate fund management business, she is now a Partner at Gaw Capital, responsible for all fund raising, investors relations and marketing functions.
Stephanie Hui
Managing Director, Merchant Banking Division, Goldman Sachs
Stephanie initially joined Goldman Sachs in 1995 as a financial analyst. She worked in the Principal Investment Area in New York and then transferred to Hong Kong in 1997. Stephanie left Goldman Sachs in 1998 to attend graduate school and rejoined the firm as an associate in 2000. She became an Executive Director in 2003. Stephanie was named Managing Director in 2006 and Partner in 2010. Stephanie serves on the boards of China Nepstar Drugstore Limited, Shenzhen Hepalink Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shenzhen Topknow Industrial Development Co., Ltd., Novast Holdings, Ltd., eHi Car Rental Co., Ltd., ZoomlionCifa (Hong Kong) Holdings. Ltd., Shanghai Hongyuan Lighting & Electronic Equipment Co. Ltd., SiPix Group Limited and NVC Lighting Holding Ltd. She serves on the Investment Committee of Hony Capital Fund III and Hony Capital Fund 2008. Stephanie is also a member of the Board of Governors of the China Venture Capital and Private Equity Association. Stephanie earned an AB in Biology from Harvard College in 1995 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 2000.
Angelina Kwan
Chief Operating Officer, Executive Managing Director, Group Executive Director, Reorient Financial Markets Limited/Reorient Group Limited
Angelina is currently the Chief Operating Officer, Executive Managing Director and a Director of the Board of REORIENT Group Limited (HKEx stock code 376, formerly Asia TeleMedia Limited (“ATL”)). She is responsible for all operating aspects of the Group’s businesses and future ventures. In her previous role as the Chief Executive Officer of Mansion House Securities (F.E.) Limited, the wholly owned operating subsidiary of ATL, she ran its operations and whilst working with the Liquidators and the Investor successfully restructured and relisted ATL. Angelina was previously the Chief Operating Officer for the Cantor Fitzgerald Group of companies in Asia as well holding senior positions at the Securities and Futures Commission. A Certified Public Accountant both in Hong Kong and the United States, Angelina has over 25 years of experience in Management, Regulation, Compliance, and Audit across a wide range of businesses in both Asia and the US. She serves on a number of Boards and working committees and lectures frequently for various international government and regulatory organisations as well as course providers.
Thelma Kwan
Head of Wealth Advisory Asia Pacific, Barclays Wealth
Thelma is the Head of Wealth Advisory Asia Pacific at Barclays Wealth. She was born, bred and educated in Hong Kong, and holds a LL.M degree from The University of Hong Kong. Thelma is a barrister by training and since departure from the Bar to join the financial industry, has acquired many years of experience in cross border wealth and tax planning. The present focus of her work is on wealth and succession planning, family governance and philanthropy. She has a strong interest in the arts, is a staunch supporter of theatre in education; and very keen on finding avenues to guide and shape girls' growth and in expanding their roles in the Hong Kong community.
Hayden Majajas
D&I Manager for Asia Pacific, BP
Hayden works in partnership with BP’s global businesses and functions across Asia Pacific to embed D&I strategies in service of business results. This includes supporting leaders to build D&I into business and people processes as well as managing relationships with key external partners in the region. Prior to BP Hayden spent 9 years in the financial services industry leading Diversity & Inclusion in senior, regional roles at UBS, Nomura and Lehman Brothers. Trained as a lawyer, Hayden is a graduate of Griffith University in Brisbane Australia and the Chuo University Graduate School of Law in Tokyo Japan. Hayden has lived in Hong Kong since 2007 and before that lived in Tokyo for 15 years. Hayden is also currently the co-chair of TWF’s best-in-class Mentoring Programme.
Kay McArdle (Board Chair)
Private Practice Lawyer, Mayer Brown JSM
As of March 2011, Kay became Board Chair of The Women’s Foundation, having joined the board in 2006. Kay is a lawyer by background and was admitted first in England and Wales and then Hong Kong. She has worked in private practice, in the corporate financial sector and in the non-profit space. Equality and anti-discrimination law and fair practice, dispute resolution and workplace mediation, diversity and inclusion, employment and labour relations have been common threads throughout Kay’s working life. After her start in private practice, Kay then worked at Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong for over 10 years, first as Head of Employee Relations for Asia ex-Japan and next as Head of the Office of Global Leadership and Diversity for Asia-ex-Japan. Kay is Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee of the Child Development Centre (NGO), having been a member since 2007. Kay is a CEDR-Accredited Mediator.
Michelle Paisley (Honorary Treasurer)
Division Director, Macquarie Securities
Michelle is a senior salesperson in Asian Equities at Macquarie Securities. She has twenty years of experience in equity markets as senior institutional sales, Head of Equities, fund manager and analyst. Michelle has a broad background in Asian, Australian, European and global markets. Michelle has helped raise funds for the FABBAs (HK Financial Industry Annual Charity Dinner), The Sovereign Art Foundation, International Care Ministry and she works closely with the Macquarie Group Foundation.
Emma Sherrard Matthew
Chief Executive Officer, Quintessentially
Born in Singapore and raised in Hong Kong and Britain, Emma's career began in New Zealand as Communications Manager for Shotover Jet. In 2000, she joined Mosimann’s Events in London. She then returned to her childhood roots, Hong Kong, where she joined the British Chamber of Commerce as the Chamber’s Business Development Manager In 2005, Quintessentially approached Emma to oversee its expansion in Asia-Pacific. Over the last five years, Quintessentially has emerged as the leading luxury lifestyle company in the region. Emma is involved in a number of different charitable activities through the Quintessentially Foundation, including creative and educational workshops for children and leading her team to volunteer as “Q Angels” to serve the community. Emma holds a BA (Hons) in History of Art and Tourism from Oxford Brookes University, England.