Women Leading the Way

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HKUST Business School outstanding female alumni discuss equality in the workplace

The HKUST Business School boasts a list of impressive female business leaders and entrepreneurs among its alumni. Four of them share their thoughts on gender diversity in leadership positions, the opportunities and challenges faced by talented women, and the approaches that have made them successful in their careers. They are Christine Ip (HKUST MBA alumna), CEO - Greater China of United Overseas Bank; Sophia Leung (Kellogg-HKUST EMBA alumna), Asia Pacific CIO of J.P. Morgan; Zou Yunli (HKUST EMBA for Chinese Executives alumna), Managing Partner of Tiantu Capital; and Gesche Haas (HKUST BBA Global Business alumna), Founder of Trailblazer Ventures.

Success in a predominantly male profession

Banking has traditionally been viewed as a predominantly male profession. But Christine Ip, United Overseas Bank’s CEO of Greater China, believes that anyone with the right capabilities can succeed in her sector today.

“In the banking industry, which is highly competitive, diverse strengths in the workforce help to enrich business competitiveness and organizational performance,” Ip says. She adds that women bring distinctive and valuable qualities to their work. “Women are more detail-minded, have better interpersonal skills, and are good at relationship building,” she says.

Ip thinks women in Hong Kong and Asia who are pushing for the top jobs have an advantage – a better chance to hire a domestic helper. “Their support provides incentives for working women to continue or rejoin the workforce, even if they have kids or babies to take care of,” she says.