Women in Business Committee

The role of the Committee is to represent the interests of the female executives of the Chamber, contributing to policy work, and engaging in dialogue with the wider business community. Through its two series, the Inspirational Women Series and the Women in Business Networking Series, it also provides a business focused and social forum within which female members can interact.

The objectives of the Committee are to encourage women to join the Chamber and actively participate in Chamber events; to cater to the specific requirements of the Chamber’s female members; to organise events of interest which address women’s issues and offer an opportunity to network with other business women; and to offer a social aspect for women of the Chamber.

Join the Committee


Eileen O'ConnellChairEYRead moreRead lessOriginally from the UK, Eileen moved to Asia with MCI Communications Inc. at the end of 2003, and held a variety of regional roles with the company until March 2007 when she left after 12 successful years as a senior Sales Executive, Managing Director, and member of the APAC Executive Leadership Team. Being determined to get involved with philanthropy beyond the financial contribution, Eileen began volunteering her time with the Christina Noble Childrens’ Foundation in 2007, and accepted the role of General Manager for the Hong Kong operation, which she performed until August 2011. Eileen has remained actively engaged with the Foundation as a Director on the Hong Kong board, continuing to exploit the significant opportunities for Corporate Social Development in the region. A permanent resident of Hong Kong, Eileen has made an effort to learn basic Cantonese, and has been involved in a number of local community initiatives in the Sai Kung area where she lives. She is an active member of the Women in Business Committee for the British Chamber of Commerce, and has a BSc in Biology from London University.
Kathryn WeaverVice ChairLewis SilkinRead moreRead lessKathryn Weaver is an Employment Partner and Head of Lewis Silkin’s Hong Kong office. She has extensive experience of advising multi-national employers in the Asia Pacific region on international employment law matters, including acting as in-house employment counsel to several global companies whilst on secondment. Her work spans both contentious and non-contentious matters, such as implementing partnership programmes and equity schemes, coordinating litigation, carrying out contract, policy and compliance reviews, advising on restructuring and terminations, and negotiating settlements. Kathryn also provides UK employment law advice, including on gender pay gap reporting obligations in the UK and on the GDPR. She sits on the Women in Business Committee of the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and contributes to www.futureofworkhub.info on legal tech stories.
Events & Sponsorship ManagerMartine McKenna
Read moreRead lessMartine is the Events & Sponsorship Manager overseeing the British Chamber's active events programme of briefings and seminars, as well as managing major events and series. She is also responsible for sponsorship and partnerships, working with sponsors to create stand out events and content-driven series that enrich the Chamber's events offering. Martine is also the Chamber's representative on the Women in Business Committee. Martine has over seven year’s experience in events and content curation for globally recognized companies such as Apple and TEDx.
Anna ThompsonMemberSwire Properties LimitedRead moreRead lessAnna Thompson is Director Human Resources at Swire Properties Limited where she is responsible for the people strategy and overall management of Human Resources. She commenced her employment with the Swire Group and Cathay Pacific Airways in 1990 and has since held a wide range of managerial positions in both Hong Kong and overseas, including a secondment to Air Hong Kong as Chief Operating Officer. Prior to her present role Anna was Director of Flight Operations and was the only female executive in the senior management team at Cathay Pacific. Anna is passionate about the importance of diverse talent for our businesses and the value that inclusion and different perspectives bring.
Keith PogsonMemberEYRead moreRead lessBio Pending
Kirti LadMemberMeraki Executive Search & Consulting LimitedRead moreRead lessKirti is the Executive Director of Meraki Executive Search & Consulting Limited and created by the leadership team of Harvey Nash APAC. She has worked in Executive Search for over 20 years. Kirti is the pioneer behind the Women's Directorship Programme, a joint-venture with The University of Hong Kong, a corporate governance programme to help women prepare for board responsibilities. Kirti also leads the Meraki Network, an Executive Women's network in the region and is an active member of the Women in Business Committee at the British Chamber in Hong Kong. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, Kirti was named as one of the Global Top 50 Diversity Professionals in Industry by the Economist Magazine. In 2013, Kirti was featured in the South China Morning Post's annual Women Of Our Time magazine as one of Hong Kong's 25 most inspirational and influential women who have contributed to the city's success over the past year. She is married and has two young children, Roy and Ava.
Linda BurgoyneMemberMatilda International HospitalRead moreRead lessLinda is a skilled professional with over 30 years of healthcare experience. Prior to arriving in HK she held senior positions in Europe and the Middle East and volunteered as a nurse/midwife in Indian and Nepal. She is actively involved in healthcare in the region and an honorary professor at HKU. Linda enjoys giving back to the community and in addition to hands-on participation she sits on the board of several HK charities.
Olivia WongMemberJohn Swire & SonsRead moreRead less Olivia Wong is Head of Diversity & Inclusion Development at John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Ltd. She is responsible for developing a coherent diversity and inclusion (“D&I”) strategy and aligning D&I initiatives across the Swire Group. Swire is one of the first conglomerates in the region to pioneer a dedicated role in D&I within the organization. Prior to taking up her current position, Olivia was Director HR & Administration at Swire Properties Ltd. Before that she was General Manager – Leadership Development at John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Ltd and Managing Director at Ethos International Ltd, with responsibility for recruiting and fostering talent for the Swire Group. Olivia is a dedicated volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. She currently serves as the vice-chair on their board.
Nikki SpurdleMember British Consulate-GeneralRead moreRead less Nikki Spurdle is the Trade and Investment Adviser for the Innovation and Technology team at the UK Department for International Trade in Hong Kong. She supports Hong Kong companies expand their business operations and investment in the UK, as well as help UK-based companies export their products and services overseas. Prior to joining DIT HK, Nikki worked for the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea under the Trade, Events and Marketing teams, before finishing her studies at the University of Exeter, United Kingdom.
Usha BaidyaMemberBTRead moreRead less Usha joined BT in 2007, she currently holds the position of HRVP for the AMEA region and has been based in Hong Kong since 2014. Prior to joining BT Usha spent 6 years with Vodafone in the UK and Germany where she held senior HR positions specialising in organisational design & implementation. Usha is a successful HR leader with over 20 years’ experience in change management, transformation, people development and recruitment. Usha has proven track record in effectively leading and managing complex global projects and is the Diversity & Inclusion champion for BT Global and a keen advocate for attracting and developing talent in an environment where people and ideas are diverse and innovative.
Alice SuenMemberHSBCRead moreRead less • Alice is the Deputy Head of Client Coverage, Commercial Banking in HSBC Hong Kong. She leads the teams responsible for (i) Origination and Business Development, (ii) Portfolio Risk Management, (iii) Lending Products and Propositions, and (iv) Lending Process and Control. Over the past 17 years, Alice has accumulated a wealth of experiences through Client Facing Roles, and Strategic Non-Client Facing Roles. She also has an extensive work coverage across Segments (Large Corporates, Mid-Market and Business Banking), and Geography - Greater China (both mainland China and Hong Kong). On top of her core role, Alice is the HSBC Balance Advocate, and a firm supporter of the Diversity and Inclusion agenda.
Selina WilliamsMemberIP Investment ManagementRead moreRead lessSelina heads up IP Investment Management’s (“IPIM”) Hong Kong business and is group Head of Investment. She is a Chartered Surveyor with 15 years’ experience in real estate investment in Europe and Asia, previously working for DTZ in London and based in Hong Kong since 2010. She is currently a Responsible Officer and board director of IPIM, and she sits on the Investment, Governance and Risk Committees. As Group Head of Investment, Selina oversees IPIM’s investment strategy, focusing on opportunistic and value add strategies in alternative real estate sectors including student accommodation, build to rent and hospitality. Selina’s experience in purpose-build student accommodation investment includes the development and investment management of 12 properties in the UK comprising 2,180 beds with a GDV of approximately £225 million. She is currently focused on establishing a new fund to invest in the development and operation of student accommodation in Iberia. Selina is passionate about giving back and developing others, and is involved with the University of St. Andrews’ e-Mentorship Programme. She is a strong advocate for progressive work practices for her team, and is keen to encourage a diverse culture. From 2016-2019 she was a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ Diversity & Inclusion committee in Hong Kong. She graduated from the University of St. Andrews with an MA (Hons) English and holds an MSc in Commercial Property Management from Liverpool John Moores University.
Mun YeowMemberClyde & CoRead moreRead lessRecognised as a leading individual by Legal 500 and Chambers Asia Pacific 2018 for contentious and non-contentious insurance, Mun advises clients on regulatory investigations as well as insurers on financial and professional lines products. She is also Chief Representative of Clyde & Co’s Beijing office and a member of the firm's Global Management Board.
Estelle RandleMemberVirgin AtlanticRead moreRead less