【Friday Beyond Spotlights III】Fiona Nott: Advancing Gender Equality
Hosted by Patrick Tsang, Episode 12 of Season 3 features Ms Fiona Nott. Fiona is the CEO of The Women’s Foundation. As a former lawyer and Hang Seng Index company secretary, she has resided in Hong Kong for nearly two decades, working as a senior legal professional and advisor to several prominent corporations in Hong Kong and throughout Asia. Driven by her enduring passion for social equality, particularly improving the lives of women and girls in Hong Kong, Fiona joined The Women’s Foundation as CEO in 2017 and is leveraging the full breadth of her legal career in her current role.
In this episode, Fiona introduces The Women’s Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls in Hong Kong. The organization has three primary objectives: challenging gender stereotypes, empowering women in poverty, and advancing women leaders.
Reflecting on her career, Fiona has certainly encountered numerous situations involving gender inequality. When she looks back on her professional journey, Fiona recalls that in the past, she was frequently the sole woman present in board meetings, business negotiations, and industry events. However, she notes that the landscape has improved, as there is now more support for diversity, equity, and inclusion within the business environment. Despite this current progress towards addressing gender inequality in the workplace, Fiona still believes that further action is needed by all stakeholders, including government, businesses, and communities, to continue advancing towards this objective.
Despite projecting an image of a strong, successful, and independent woman, Fiona’s life has not been without its share of ups and downs. In sharing more about herself, she reveals to the audience the challenges she has encountered throughout her journey in advocating for gender equality and women’s empowerment. Fiona also discusses tips regarding her own strategies for overcoming these obstacles.
