Sponsored by

Part of the Diversity and Inclusion Series

Supported by the Women in Business Committee

Speakers:

Dennis Philipse, Founder & Co-Chair, Gay Games Hong Kong

Michael Vidler, Founding partner, Vidler & Co. Solicitors

Ricky Chu Man-kin, Chairperson of the Equal Opportunities Commission

Victoria Wisniewski Otero, Founder & CEO, Resolve

More speakers to be announced soon.

Moderator:

Chinali Patel, Illicit Finance Policy Lead, British Consulate General

How can we best support the LGBTQ+ Community?

The Chamber has recently launched a Diversity & Inclusion Series in partnership with EY. This series seeks to be a catalyst for discussion in Hong Kong and will bring together a diverse group of people to celebrate the women in our community driving sustainable business practice through diversity and inclusion. It will also look to address the importance and need for businesses and the community to support LGBT+.

The first event in this series will focus on raising awareness of the issues and challenges faced by LGBT+ in Hong Kong and more importantly the tangible steps that businesses and individuals can take to support. This includes covering what can be done from a policy, community and corporate perspective.

Join us to hear first-hand from our panelists what the biggest challenges the LGBT+ community face and what we can all be doing to help.

About the speakers

Dennis Philipse is a Dutch national, who has been living in Hong Kong since 2010. In 2016, he became the founder and co-chair of the organisation that bid and won for Gay Games 11 to be held in Hong Kong in 2023, bringing the Gay Games for the first time to Asia. He worked for 20 years in the technology industry, leading Professional Services teams. In 2020 he left his company to follow his heart and passion to focus full-time working as a volunteer on the Gay Games Hong Kong team. He’s passionate about creating communities and places of belonging, making a difference, and improving inclusiveness through sport.

Michael is the founding partner of Vidler & Co. Solicitors, a Hong Kong law firm with a thriving matrimonial, immigration, discrimination as well as general litigation practice. Michael is renowned for his public interest strategic litigation work that has resulted in a number of landmark cases including those advancing LGBTQ+ rights in Hong Kong. He has advised numerous LGBTQ+ NGOs and is a vocal advocate of LGBTQ+ rights in the public sphere. He is a regular contributor in the broadcast and print media and speaks on LGBTQ+ issues both locally and internationally. He is the proud recipient of the 2015 HKLGFF Prism Award and 2019 Community Business Award for his work in advancing LGBTI rights in Hong Kong.

Ricky Chu Man-kin took the helm as Chairperson of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) on 11 April 2019, leading and steering the operation of the Commission to enforce the anti-discrimination ordinances and promote the value of equal opportunities in Hong Kong.

Mr Chu joined the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in 1978 as an investigator, and rose through the ranks to become the Assistant Director of Operations and Acting Director of Corruption Prevention. In 2010, he left the ICAC to join the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) as its Secretary-General, leading the Secretariat to assist Council members in monitoring and reviewing the handling and investigation of complaints against the Police.

Mr Chu re-joined the ICAC in 2016 as the Director of Investigation and retired from the Commission in 2019, when he was awarded the Hong Kong ICAC Medal for Distinguished Service (IDS) in 2019.

Mr Chu graduated from The Chinese University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor Degree in Social Science. He also holds a UK law degree.  

Victoria Wisniewski Otero founded Resolve in 2017 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 rests with communities themselves and that there is strength in diversity. She founded Resolve Foundation in 2017 to provide an inclusive, supportive and enabling platform to amplify the voices of marginalized and underrepresented groups in Hong Kong.

Victoria has worked for a decade in the human rights and nonprofit sector. She was formerly the Advocacy and Campaigns Manager at Justice Centre Hong Kong, a Researcher at the Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR) and UN HABITAT. In 2020, Victoria became part of Voice for Social Good, an NGO Taskforce of Women Leaders in response to COVID 19. From 2019-2020, she sat on the Membership Advisory Group of the CIVICUS Global Alliance’s Solidarity Fund and an advisor for Public Interest Law Network’s Law For Change Student Competition. She has been awarded the 2020 AmCham Women of Influence Award - Young Achiever and is a 2018 Gen T Honouree. 

About the moderator:

Chinali Patel commenced the role as Consul International Illicit Finance at the British Consulate General in Hong Kong in April 2019. The role has a specific focus on policy and strategy - enhancing diplomatic engagement, capability and capacity building in close coordination with UK, regional and international partners to tackle illicit finance. Chinali also chairs the Diversity and Inclusion Committee at the British Consulate General. 

Chinali has 17 years of UK Law Enforcement experience in tackling serious and organised crime including predicate offences (child sexual exploitation and abuse online, modern slavery and human trafficking). Chinali maintains excellent relationships with key influencers, wider civil society and international partners to ensure a coordinated and responsive approach to issues which need addressing at international level, ensuring that public protection messages are aligned across agencies and have maximum impact.

This event is hosted by David Graham.

Ticket includes a full hot English breakfast buffet.

 Please note that Business Attire is required by the Hong Kong Club - collared shirts must be worn by men, and jeans, sandals and sports shoes are not permitted. To see the full list of club rules on dresscode, please click here.

Please note that Hong Kong Club will require guests fully vaccinated 14 days prior and proof of vaccination.

To avoid any embarrassment, please ensure that you have the vaccination record on hand in either digital or printed form so that can scan the QR code by the government mandated record system when entering 1/F.

Guests who are not in possession of the necessary vaccination documents will not be able to enter the Club.

Pricing

• Member: HK$480
• Non-Member: HK$600
• Y-Network Member: HK$380
• Start-up Member: HK$380

Terms & Conditions

• Reservations in advance are required. Please consider your booking confirmed unless notified otherwise.
• Cancellations must be made in writing 24 hours prior to the event. No shows will be charged.
• This event is closed to the media.
• The event will be cancelled if the No.8 Typhoon signal or the Black Rain Storm warning is in force.
• By attending this event, you agree to be photographed, recorded, and/or filmed and give permission to use your likeness in promotional and/or marketing materials.
• For further information please email [email protected]
• All payments for this event need to be settled by credit card through PayPal. Please note you do not need a PayPal account to complete payment.