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THE WOMEN’S FOUNDATION APPOINTS SU-MEI THOMPSON AS ITS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

FOR PRESS RELEASE

October 2, 2009

The Women’s Foundation, one of the leading NGOs focused on women and girls in Hong Kong, announced the appointment of Su-Mei Thompson as the Foundation’s new Executive Director commencing in September. In her new role, Ms. Thompson will be responsible for strategic planning, fund-raising and donor relationships, managing grants and programmes, community outreach to corporates and grassroot organisations, government relations, and marketing and communications for the Foundation, working closely with the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

“I am delighted to welcome Su-Mei to The Women’s Foundation,” said Estella Lung Huang, Chairperson of The Women’s Foundation. “As we look to build on our achievements over the last five years, Su-Mei’s unique background and extensive experience in strategic planning, business development, operational and financial management, and marketing and media relations will be extremely valuable to the entire organisation. I am particularly excited to have Su-Mei on board given her strong professional network, her track record of forging successful creative collaborations with strategic partners and her passion for education and women’s issues.”

Ms. Thompson started her career at Linklaters in 1989 where she specialized in corporate finance and international capital markets work in the firm’s London, Paris and Hong Kong offices. She joined Walt Disney Television Asia-Pacific in 1996 as Regional Director for Legal & Business Affairs. Upon leaving Disney in 2000, Ms Thompson joined Asiacontent.com as their General Counsel and Senior Vice-President for Corporate and Business Development. From 2003 to 2007, Ms Thompson worked at the Financial Times as the FT’s Managing Director for Asia and served on the FT’s global management board. In this role, she oversaw the launch of the FT’s dedicated Asian edition in print and online, the FT’s Chinese language website and the FT’s conferences business in the region and successfully advanced the FT’s strategy and relationships in India and China. From 2007 to 2008, Ms Thompson served as Senior Vice-President of Strategic Business Development at Christie’s. In 2009, she co-founded Intelligence Squared Asia - the Asia arm of the global forum for political, economic and cultural debate. She is a non-executive director for Save The Children in Hong Kong and a Corporate Member of The Cheltenham Ladies College.

Ms. Thompson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in law from Trinity College, Cambridge University in 1987 and a first-class Masters degree in law (B.C.L.) from Christchurch, Oxford University in 1989. She holds an M.B.A. from IMD in Lausanne in 2001 where she was the first woman to graduate on The Dean’s List. She has also served as a lecturer and tutor in contract and commercial law at King’s College, University of London.

The Women’s Foundation also announced that its 2009 Leadership Awards and Fundraising Dinner will take place on October 15, 2009 at the W Hotel, Kowloon. TWF's annual Leadership Awards honor female leaders in the fields of politics, philanthropy, academia, research and student life who have made a significant contribution to improving the position of women and girls in Hong Kong.

About The Women’s Foundation

The Women’s Foundation is a Hong Kong registered not for profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls in Hong Kong. Through its published research on the ‘Status of Women and Girls in Hong Kong 2006’ and ‘Closing the Gender Gap in Hong Kong: Conversations with the Community’, the Foundation has identified women’s economic self reliance as a critical issue for Hong Kong. To this end, TWF programs are focused on challenging gender stereotypes, increasing the number of women in decision-making and leadership roles, and providing financial literacy and entrepreneurship opportunities to low income women. # # #

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Visit The Women’s Foundations web site at www.thewomensfoundationhk.org