Speakers

Deepmala is an Investment Analyst at BlackRock within the iShares ETF and Index Investments Team. She graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a degree in Finance and Economics in 2024. Deepmala is also a professional emcee and recognized for her leadership qualities and public speaking. She is a 2024 HKSAR Diversity List Awardee, United Nations millennium fellow of the year 2022 and has led the World University Student Organization here in Hong Kong as its President in 2021. She is a national debate champion, and holds 3 championship titles.

Kirti is Founder and Executive Director of Meraki Executive Search & Consulting Limited.
Meraki has a very clear strategy and purpose, to increase and improve female participation in the workforce at the most senior levels.

Kirti’s expertise is in leadership hiring and development of both Non-Executives and Executives across the Asia Pacific region. Kirti is a Physics & Chemistry graduate from University College London and has worked in Executive Search and Leadership Consulting for over 20 years.
Kirti is the pioneer behind the Women's Directorship Programme, a joint-venture with The University of Hong Kong Business School. Kirti also leads the Meraki Network, an Executive Women's network in the region, is a regular speaker and contributor to conferences and media relating to gender diversity in Asia and is an active member of the Women in Business Committee at the British Chamber in Hong Kong.
Kirti was named as one of the Global Top 50 Diversity Professionals in Industry by the Economist Magazine over multiple years.
Kirti is the mother to two amazing children who have also found their purpose at such a young age by representing HK at the Children’s General Assembly in Billund.

Idawati Misno is the founder of Women's Journal, a community that empowers women from all backgrounds, with a special focus on those from underprivileged communities like Migrant Domestic workers. Her mission is to promote self-worth awareness, wellness practices, and emotional well-being. Women's Journal provides a safe space for women to embrace their true potential and celebrate their unique identities by combining online and offline activities, including art journaling.

Under the leadership of Idawati Misno, the Women's Journal stands as a beacon of inspiration. The community encourages women to break societal barriers, embrace imperfections, and shine brightly without constraints. Women's Journal fosters a culture of empowerment and self-discovery through a transformative journey of self-exploration and personal growth. Members are encouraged to express gratitude, practice self-acceptance, and channel their emotions through art journaling and colour. The community offers a lifeline of resilience and strength to women facing adversities, helping them navigate their paths to self-discovery and embrace their unique worth and potential.

Idawati Misno's visionary project, Painting Your Stories, amplifies the voices of individuals through the transformative power of art. She translates these voices into compelling works of art, particularly focusing on overlooked women. The project honours the value of each narrative and the strength found within shared experiences. Idawati creates a safe space for individuals to share their stories authentically and without fear. Join us in celebrating the resilience, diversity, and beauty found in these untold stories, and together, let's build a more inclusive and compassionate world through the art of storytelling based on people's lived experiences.

Steph founded Body Banter in 2016 after realizing the powerful role that discussion and advocacy played in her own eating disorder recovery journey. Through providing opportunities for community-building, advocacy, and open discussion, she hopes that Body Banter can amplify the voices of individuals and empower them to be the driving forces behind creating a more accepting and accommodating world.

Her fascination with the relationship between language and mental health has led her to her current Ph.D. studies in a joint program between the University of Hong Kong and local mental health charity Mind HK, where she is exploring how storytelling shapes the ways we view mental illness and recovery in the Hong Kong context.

Her work is internationally recognized, and has been featured on media platforms such as BBC, TEDx, Channel NewsAsia, Tatler Asia, NowTV, and Deutsche-Welle. She is the winner of the Young Changemaker Award at the American Chambers of Commerce Women of Influence Awards 2023, and the recipient of the Youth Award at Jessica Magazine's Most Successful Women Awards 2023.

Beverly L.W. Sunn is one of the first American female entrepreneurs to establish a successful real estate and relocation firm in Asia. Founded in Hong Kong in 1985, Asia Pacific Properties serves a client base of Fortune 500 companies, SMEs and U.S., European and Chinese multinationals. Together with APP Mobility, APP specializes in real estate strategies and mobility programs throughout Asia, with a particular focus on China.



A native of Hawaii, Bev moved to Asia with her young family in the early 1980s. Soon after, her entire raison d’etre for pioneering APP was to provide clients, employees and their families with the complete wherewithal to relocate across borders, adapt and thrive – an experience unfortunately unavailable to her when she moved. A graduate of Boston University, Bev holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in social science.

Manisha serves as the Executive Director of HELP For Domestic Workers a Hong Kong based non-profit organization empowering migrant domestic workers to access their rights through education, advice, community and employer engagement. She is a registered Attorney at Law in Sri Lanka and holds a Master of Laws in Human Rights from the University of Hong Kong. Prior to coming to Hong Kong in 2013, Manisha worked for the UNICEF Child Protection & Juvenile Justice Programme and Save the Children Sri Lanka, building systems and processes to support child victims of abuse and juvenile offenders. In Hong Kong, Manisha worked at Christian Action and at Daly & Associates, specialising in the area of migrant worker rights and international labour law.

Outside of her role at HELP, Manisha serves as an Advisor to the Board of MindHK, a non-profit committed to improving awareness and understanding of mental health in Hong Kong and as a Member of the Executive Committee of the Amber Foundation EMpower Programme that provides support and training to Hong Kong ethnic minority women. She also served as a Mentor under the Women’s Foundation Mentoring Programme for Women Leaders. Among other awards Manisha was named a winner of the Tatler Magazine’s 2022 Inaugural Front & Female Award, and an awardee of the 2023 Tatler Gen.T List.

Victoria founded Resolve with one question in mind: in an age of increasing polarization and intolerance, how can we build more inclusive and accepting societies? She believes the answer lies in harnessing the power of communities themselves to bring about positive social change. At Resolve, Victoria provides strategic direction, forges opportunities for collaboration, oversees operations, and ensures progress of the organization to advance its mission, vision, and values. Before founding Resolve, Victoria worked at Justice Centre Hong Kong, the Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR), as well as the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN HABITAT). She has been featured on CNN, BBC, Thomson Reuters, AFP, RTHK, The Guardian, and SCMP, amongst others and was selected for Tatler Magazine’s 2018 Generation T List. She also sits on the Membership Advisory Group of the CIVICUS Global Alliance’s Solidarity Fund. Victoria received a Master’s in International Studies from The Graduate Institute Geneva (IHEID) and a Bachelor’s magna cum laude from the University of Maryland College Park. Victoria is also part of the senior organization team at TEDxWanChai and loves discovering Hong Kong heritage, hiking, travel and good cinema.

Joey Yuen, specializing in boudoir & portrait photography. With a background of fashion, styling, makeup, & modeling. Joey founded Maison Kali in 2022, where she encourages her subjects to be comfortable in their own skin through the art of photography capturing authentic moments and moods.