Evidence informs us that women across the world are concerned about the impact of their investments, with a large majority highly motivated to create positive environmental and societal change through their investment decisions. At the same time, the concept of financial feminism – the belief in the financial equality of women - is rapidly gaining momentum.

On July 7th, WiFA had the pleasure of hosting the latest edition of its ongoing Book Club series, featuring Jessica Robinson, author of Financial Feminism: A Woman’s Guide to Investing for a Sustainable Future, and moderated by Gladys Liu, co-chair of the WiFA Philanthropy Committee. Over the course of an hour, Jessica, a sustainable finance and responsible investing exert, shared her take on financial feminism: it is about addressing the financial inequalities that women face, but beyond that it is also about unleashing the growing financial power of women, through the way we invest, to create positive change in the world.

Earlier this year, we honoured and celebrated the amazing women who work in our financial services community through the WiFA 2021 Spotlight Interview Series. Now, WiFA would like to shine a spotlight on our male allies during the month of September & October.

What is a male ally? They’re defined as men who support, mentor, and promote women. In today’s environment, we are conscious of the powerful impact that male allies can have both in and outside of the workplace, and their critical role in gender equality initiatives. This study by the Boston Consulting Group showed that when men are actively involved in gender inclusion programs, 96% of organizations see progress — where, among companies where men are not involved, only 30% show progress.

WiFA’s goal with the male ally series is to share stories on how the men we work with support and uplift female colleges to build a more inclusive, intelligent, and efficient workplace.

Please reach out to Bonnie Ohri at bonnie.ohri@wifasia.org to nominate a male ally that you feel has provided exceptional support to a woman in finance.

Menopause and Andropause are transitions to a new phase of life for women and men respectively as they enter late 40s and may continue for many years after. Changes during this time can lead to mood swings, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and related symptoms. Understanding how to navigate through this complex maze can help women and men deal with the symptoms they are experiencing.

WiFA looks forward to hosting an informative discussion on menopause and andropause -- definitions, symptoms, causes, and treatments in mid to late August. Our speaker, Dr. Laurena Law, a GP, has developed expertise around health issues related to aging and how to incorporate lifestyle medicine alongside traditional medicine (https://www.anantawellbeing.com/about).

Stay tuned for more details!

WiFA and RUN Hong Kong announced the opening of the WiFA X RUN Virutal Fitness Challenge this fall.

REGISTER your team using the Kindful registration page: https://runhongkong.kindful.com/e/wifa-fitness

Teams of 5.

Registration fee is HK$500 per person (HK$2,500 per team).

Donate and raise additional funds through the Kindful team page.

One month fitness challenge to accumulate the most hours exercising and being active collectively as a team.

The team with the most collective hours wins.

The top 3 teams will be awarded prizes at the end of the challenge. See the website for prizes details.

Do any activity individually or as a team (in-person or connect virtually) such as yoga, running, hiking, swimming.

Log your hours using ChallengeHound (registrants will receive an email regarding setting up their account closer to the start date) and interim results will be sent out weekly during the challenge.

Mon 13th September to Wed 13th October 2021

Join community members and stay active with others in support of RUN.

The Philanthropy Committee is growing the team to drive WiFA’s ongoing partnerships, volunteer engagements, and fundraising campaigns with various Hong Kong charity organizations.

Since 2018, the Philanthropy Committee has directed hundreds of volunteer hours and capacity support as well as thousands of dollar in donation.

Join the team to scale their work and connect WiFA’s broader network to local organizations in need. Please reach out to Karen Liu at Karen.liu815@gmail.com, if you are interested.

Diversity and Inclusion is at the core of WiFA. The 2021 D&I series included three well-attended events and workshops covering Belonging, Care and ESG.

For those who missed the events, we have gathered the slides and recording of the events. D&I forum recording, click here.

Presentation slides of the ESG Business & Workplace Strategies, click here..

If there are any D&I and ESG topics you would like us to cover, reach out to Marie Swarbreck atmarie.swarbreck@fleximums.com

WiFA's second in-person event at Liberty was a geat success. Members gathered together to enjoy refreshments, meet new friends, and reconnect with colleagues.

We met with our Corporate Sponsors and gathered ideas for the upcoming events covering the Art of #Persuasion Series, #Networking Dinner and the first WiFA #fundraising #Fitness Challenge. We introduced our #charity partners: 婦女動力基金HER Fund, EmpowerU and RUN Hong Kong. We also showcased how WiFA members contributed through #donations, and volunteering as #coaches and #trainers in financial management.

If you have an idea, we want to hear from you. Please send your suggestions to Bonnie So at bonnie.so@wifasia.org.

WiFA partnered with HER Fund to work with the charity's beneficiaries on building financial management skills. Training and mentorship was provided to 23 leaders of 6 beneficiary organisations by 7 Cantonese-speaking WiFA volunteers.

WiFA volunteer Christine Chiu provides a summary of her experience: “I am grateful to have volunteered for HER Fund through the introduction of WiFA. I provided training and mentoring on financial skills for local NGOs, and helped prepare a teach-in session on the basics of accounting and non-profit financial management. After the training, I became a mentor for an NGO which serves the Tin Shui Wai district, to provide support in automating the preparation of financial statements, attendance, and inventory records. Through the mentoring opportunity, I leveraged my financial expertise and applied that knowledge within a non-commercial sector, which was deeply fulfilling. After a series of visits and mentoring, I became friends with the volunteers and staff of the organization. I believe in HER Fund’s mission -- it is an excellent platform to connect with local organizations dedicated to women empowerment.”

Date: Tuesday to Friday, September 7-10, 2021

Time: September 7 and 9: 09:00-12:15 (GMT+8); September 8 and10: 14:00-17:15 (GMT+8)

Format: Virtual Event in English

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