It was a full house at our “Gearing Up! Women on Boards” symposium on 17 January. Attended by over 100 participants and organized by the Women Executives Club (WEC), the seminar explored how female executives could take up the position of independent non-executive directors (INEDs) on the boards of listed companies. 

Kelly Lee, Senior Vice President, Policy and Secretariat Services, Listing, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, gave an introduction to the new listing rules to end single-gender boards by December 2024. Grace Huang, Partner and Co-Head, International Capital Markets Group of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, and Christopher To, Chairman of the Hong Kong Institute of Directors, provided insights into the legal perspectives of being INEDs, as well as practical tips for business executives to become board members. 

In the Q&A session afterwards, Catherine Yien, HKEX’s Head of Listed Issuer Regulation, Listing Division, discussed how women’s organizations could promote the initiatives to their members. 

The symposium was opened by WEC Chairman Tammy Wu, moderated by Vice Chairman Christabel Lee, and supported by the Golden Bauhinia Women Entrepreneur Association.