Celebrity Life

Shanyan Fok Koder and Richard Bassett explain how a Hong Kong art entrepreneur joined forces with a former special-forces soldier to launch a health and mental wellbeing app, Mentor360.

"Mental health and mental fitness are universal concerns," says Shanyan Fok Koder. "And regardless of your demographic, social status, your job or your age, it’s something everyone has to deal with."

Shanyan Fok Koder & Richard Bassett on Mental Health App Mentor360

The Mentor360 app dropped on World Mental Health Day in October, the cumulation of the last 20 months of work and conversations (usually across continents over Zoom) between former military man Richard Bassett and worldly art advisor Koder. A month later, I’m sitting with both in a North London café talking over slices of pizza.

Their app, they hope, offers everyone a holistic 360 guide and framework to “finding your formula” for mental and physical wellbeing. It uses a hybrid approach, with a core layer of clinicians and professional Mentors and then celebrity Ambassadors (who’ve publicly shared meaningful life stories) critical for building noise and momentum.

"I’d been in the military for a long time. And there were a couple of incidents in my life that made me want to create something," Bassett, the CEO, explains. "Firstly, it was my father committing suicide. Then my son had a bit of misdirection. And several of my friends in the military had PTSD issues or adjustment disorders."

"The biggest issue is why people wouldn’t come forward and say they’ve got a problem?” he asks.

“Unlike some apps, we’re not trying to get people hooked. Come on to it when you need it”

— Richard Bassett

The answer often lay in culture, lack of education or concerns about privacy that prevent many from seeking help. With that came Bassett’s idea of creating an app that functions as a “non-judgmental toolkit” with content validated by experts – who include coaches, performance psychologists, mental health-specialising nurses and a clinical psychologist.

Basset’s link with Koder came when his best friend, ex-special forces colleague and TV star Jason Fox, sat next to a pregnant Koder at a charity fundraiser for Born (which researches to prevent premature birth) in late 2019. As the pair talked about their passions for mental health and children’s wellbeing, the connection to Bassett’s idea became quickly apparent.

"Foxy told me that I have to meet his friend, Richard, who’s building this app," Koder recalls. "I was always wanting to support things that are very meaningful and close to my heart … and now Jason is actually our key mentor. The partnership between Richard and I was almost like two parts of a jigsaw puzzle come together."

Although some might go to the app for help with stress, trauma or even resources to help with suicidal feelings, Mentor360 is designed specifically as a three-dimensional offering that will also encourage fitness, workouts, performance and meditation or more clinical matters.

"We wanted to maintain the human factor as a constant throughout. So it feels like somebody has given you some advice rather than some process-driven machine learning," Bassett adds.

The co-founders might come from two different worlds, but the unlikely partnership speaks to the ubiquity of the issues at hand. Bassett’s 25-year military career saw him being appointed the first ever Command Sergeant Major within the UK Special Forces military group. "It was at that stage where I was asked if I wanted to run defence,” he says. “At that point, I thought, I’ve kind of had my fill of the military now, it’s time to move on."

Koder meanwhile grew up in Hong Kong and the UK as the daughter of Li Ka-shing’s "right-hand man" Canning Fok, carving out a career in the arts and taking over her family’s impressive collection. As a female art entrepreneur and mother, her challenges would be different.

"When I had the misfortune of losing three babies to miscarriage and dealing with that emotional fallout, it led me to want to support this as a cause," Koder divulges. "If there’d been something like this app available to me, I don’t think I’d have suffered as much as I did emotionally. It’s a topic that’s still very taboo, even in this day and age … and while you eventually find your own community, at the very beginning, you do feel very alone."

Both were clearly driven towards the app through deeply personal experiences. Bassett saw first-hand how soldiers who’d done several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan suffered – his best friend, Fox, had left the forces with PTSD. Perhaps machismo or fear of institutional repercussions meant that the issue was often ignored or hidden in the military – but he hopes that Mentor360’s holistic approach can gently lead people to explore mental fitness alongside physical performance too.

The male-female perspectives of the pair offer a well-rounded, powerful tool. And while the wellness space is already crowded, Mentor360 stands out by being so broad, human-focused and non-prescriptive.

There’s been exciting traction too. Since its launch, the app has been downloaded in more than 176 countries, with the UK, the US and Australia leading. British schools have reached out and it’s one governance board away from being trialled within the National Health Service (NHS), which means added clinical risk management in the app. That has been an important validation, says Bassett, "especially when an institution like that has picked it out from a huge spectrum of apps on the market today."

Covid-19 and lockdowns have helped throw light on mental health, taking the conversation more mainstream. The timeliness has hit home; as Bassett says, “there’s a lot of people now struggling with the transition between Covid and normality”.

Koder tells us that the plan is to serve individuals but also institutions such as the NHS and the military. There’s also the option of “white labelling” it, so the app can be packaged and tailored to certain industries or corporate employees. In the future, might they look more global, with different languages and translations? Absolutely, the pair say, but they’re taking it “slow and steady”. There’s been interest from American corporations and Koder says that she’s keen to push into Asia very soon. Although going truly global might mean translating for languages, cultures and tone, as well as working with diverse psychologists, it remains a future ambition.

Mentor360 may be extra helpful in cultures where mental health is still relatively taboo. As Koder says, "I think, coming from our Asian culture, it speaks volumes to me – so much of our culture is about still performance or hiding a lot of what you’re feeling."

"Unlike some apps,” Bassett adds, "what we’re not trying to do is create a hook or get people hooked. Come on to it when you need it, and if you don’t need it for a while because you’re good, you can just put it away … We’re starting to see those patterns in the trend analysis."

To get a little personal, I ask what works for them individually to keep a healthy mind and body. Bassett’s formula revolves around daily exercise, time with the family, dogs and good sleep – even the occasional glass of wine on the sofa in front of a crackling fireplace. Koder’s happiness hacks centre around motherhood, being content and at peace in her skin, and looking at life with a certain romanticism: "I always love to see the poetry in my day,” she says, "and I think it’s important to just pause throughout the day, check-in and acknowledge that I’ve achieved these things and I should be proud of myself, rather than just rushing on to the next thing."

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Inclusivity and diversity aren't just trending topics, but entire movements.

Diversity isn’t just about gender or gender identity. It’s equally about age, race, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, education – in other words, every single thing that makes each one of us unique.

“Diversity grows and changes constantly,” says Loretta Chan, partner and head of diversity and inclusion at leading executive search firm Wellesley, “because our identities and experiences are changing and adapting. It’s not a one-off corporate training session, but an ongoing mentality towards inclusion. This brings diverse viewpoints and perspectives to the company.”

We asked Chan to elaborate on the subject and offer a handful of tips on fostering diversity in any organisation.

Diversity and Inclusivity in the Workplace

Do you see positive changes in hires as a trend in the market when it comes
to diversity?

Yes, but often the focus has been very much towards hiring women to tick a box or answer a corporate directive, without any thought about fostering a truly diverse environment for the long term.

What are common mistakes by human-resources departments?

HR is always looking at checking the box. In reality, it needs to help influence and encourage line managers to think out of the box. If a business doesn’t get buy-in from the top down and with the support of everyone in the organisation, it’s just paying lip service and not actually implementing change and inclusion.

Is it tougher in Hong Kong, as there’s such a small pool – or in a post-Zoom world, are companies looking at different avenues?

Hong Kong isn’t really a small pool. We just need to think about diversity in terms not only of race or sex but also educational background, upbringing, language skills and other experiences that shape each candidate.

How can a company ensure it isn’t exercising tokenist hires – that it’s actually leading in creating an informed multicultural organisation?

Looking at empirical evidence, if the company is doing well, it’s hiring the best people. Diversity stats are increasing across different businesses but every company has a fiduciary duty to hire the best person for the job. It doesn’t matter what or how that person looks or feels. It’s important that during the selection process there’s a wide and diverse pool of candidates to consider, and the line manager’s hires are based on skill ability and fit.

Some points to note

A SEAT AT THE TABLE IS A VOICE AT THE TABLE
Establish a sense of belonging for everyone, and foster a supportive and safe place in the workplace for open discussions, without hierarchy or prejudice. People shouldn’t shy away from difficult and sensitive conversations, as that creates a divide, and all questions are valid. Don’t make this something that applies only to topics of diversity – true inclusivity means that everyone is entitled to share their opinion, whether it’s on the demographic make-up of the company or any work matters. You can’t expect people to be open about sharing with regards to diversity if they aren’t comfortable sharing their opinion on work matters.

LEAD FROM THE TOP
Every leader needs to truly buy into and understand the value of diversity, and drive it from the top down. If you apply diversity only to junior hires, it’s meaningless. When I joined Wellesley in 2007, we had four white male partners and myself. Today, our partnership is made up of three men and four women, including six of Asian descent, and encompassing a variety of backgrounds.

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE MINORITY, BUT THE MAJORITY
At many companies, diversity efforts are driven by those in the minority who can speak on behalf of a minority experience. That’s why workshops and education are so important so that those who may have enjoyed more privilege in their lives are able to hear stories with a different narrative and understand different struggles. That’s not to say diversity is binary, with an oppressor and an oppressed. We don’t have to single out or identify people in order to be inclusive.

BE ADAPTABLE
We all thought going to an office was a non-negotiable – until Covid-19 hit. We’ve managed to cope without social interactions, and without business travel, with adaptive strategies that can be applied to people with special circumstances. Think: arrangements for mothers (or fathers) returning to the workplace, benefits extended to long-term unmarried partners, staggered working hours for those with a long commute, etc. Create a welcoming work atmosphere for those with varying needs.

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In the first of a series dedicated to people being the change they’d like to see in the world, here’s our salute to women in philanthropy.

Since the summer of 2020, MacKenzie Scott has donated almost $8.5 billion to 798 non-profit organisations, with no strings attached. Her famous ex, near-trillionaire Jeff Bezos, has set up a $10 billion initiative to fight climate change. It brings to mind the phrase, “If you want something said, ask a man, if you want something done, ask a woman.”

Here’s an ad hoc list of women in philanthropy we’ve been keeping tabs on for a while. They’re the founders, leaders and advocates for notable and worthy causes in the city, who are making an impact locally – and perhaps even globally. Fighting for rights, providing safe houses and shelter, raising funds and awareness, adopting, fostering, feeding – these driven women do it all.

This is by no means a comprehensive list; we aim to continue adding women in philanthropy in the coming year and hope you, our readers, will inform and enlighten the editors of Prestige with news and information about worthy causes and noteworthy names.

Women in Philanthropy

Alia Marwah Eyres
CEO of Mother’s Choice

Alia Marwah Eyres often volunteered at Mother’s Choice when she was younger, an experience that fuelled her passion to change the life stories of vulnerable children, youth, and families – leading her back to a leadership role at the charity that serves the needs of both children without families and pregnant teenagers.

Amanda Cheung
First Initiative Foundation (FIF)

Amanda Cheung is the managing director of First Initiative Foundation (FIF). Her mother, Michelle Ong, set up the foundation over a decade ago as a way of supporting Hong Kong’s creative community.
fif.org.hk

Belinda Koo
Founder of One Ten Foundation

A charity aiming to equip young adults, aged 12 to 24, with high emotional resilience through integrating non-competitive sports with evidence-based therapeutic concepts.
weareoneten.org

Cathy Lee
Goodwill Ambassador of The Chi Heng Foundation

The Chi Heng Foundation promotes equal opportunity and the elimination of discrimination against minority groups and underprivileged members of society. From supporting children who are affected by HIV and Aids throughout mainland China to funding and operating projects in education and care for children and adults impacted by Aids, the Foundation also educates about Aids prevention and the need for anti-discrimination practices.

Cissy Wang
Co-founder of Go.Asia

An online charity platform encouraging people to participate in charity work and serve local communities, Go.Asia is a charitable initiative that aims to improve society through collective and individual efforts.
go.asia

Daisy Tam
Founder of Breadline and Hong Kong Foodworks

Combating the shocking level of food waste in Hong Kong, Breadline connects bakeries with volunteers wanting to pick up leftover loaves to deliver to charities.
breadline.hkfoodworks.com

Emily Lam-Ho
Co-founder of EcoDrive

EcoDrive promotes the awareness and reduction of single-use plastic in Hong Kong through education, connecting with corporates, and providing possible solutions.
ecodrivehk.com

Gabrielle Kirstein
Founder of Feeding HK

Providing food sourcing, operations, charity distribution and volunteer coordination, Feeding HK ensures surplus food goes to feed people, not landfills.
feedinghk.org

Jacqueline Chow
Treasurer and Fundraising Committee Member of the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children (HKSPC)

To lead and excel in keeping children healthy, happy and safe, the HKDSPC provides for and promotes the care, education and social development of children and families, in partnership with the community.
hkspc.org

Jennifer Yu-Cheng
Founder of Jennifer Yu Cheng Girls Impact Foundation

Providing teenage girls with opportunities for a future-ready education in STEM fields, the mission at JYC Girls Impact Foundation is to open the door for all girls, providing them education access, tech skills and mindset, and the inspiration and ability to lead.
jycgirlsimpact.org

Joanna Hotung
Founder of Youth Diabetes Action

Youth Diabetes Action (YDA) is a charity dedicated to supporting children and adolescents with diabetes in Hong Kong, as well as their families.
yda.org.hk

Joanna Lui-Hilcox
Executive Director of Galaxy Entertainment Group Foundation

The philanthropic activities of the GEG Foundation spread across Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China and run the gamut; from nurturing young talent to providing for the elderly, art and artists, music or medicine, the Foundation’s charitable arm and remit are vast.
gegfoundation.org.mo

Karen Chan
Creative Director and Co-Founder of HKCRAFTS

HKCRAFTS integrates various design elements into local fading crafts and supports local emerging artists and designers. Working with local artisans to train others, HKCRAFTS sheds light on fading, unique local artists – and giving them another chance, suitable employment and funding.
hkcrafts.ooo

Katherine Lo
Founder Of Eaton Workshop

Eaton Workshop is a mission-driven global hospitality company dedicated to shaping a better world based on values of inclusivity and equity, and providing a platform that holds space for belonging, expression and collective change. Activism and advocacy for a range of progressive issues are at the heart of all its programmes.
eatonworkshop.com

Kaye Dong
Founder of K for Kids Foundation

K for Kids Foundation Limited focuses on helping children with the biggest needs, aiming to provide resources, opportunities and support through educational and extra-curricular programmes and activities built on the foundation of core values: respect, responsibility, kindness, passion, happiness and love.

Laurinda Ho
Smile with Us HK

Launched in 2017 and making use of social media to raise awareness, Laurinda Ho’s initiative Smile with Us HK organises regular visits to homes for the elderly and families of children with special needs. It also provides food, clothing and school supplies – whatever the need, the foundation works with the local community and those in mainland China.

Michele Lai
Founder of Kids4Kids

Kids4Kids nurtures change through reimagining ways of learning and rethinking social expectations, galvanising youth to work together and connecting individuals with communities.
kids4kids.org.hk

Patricia Ho
Founder Of Hong Kong Dignity Institute

The HK Dignity Institute fights for marginalised communities, asylum seekers, refugees, victims of human trafficking and discrimination, vulnerable women and child victims of domestic violence and abuse.

Sian Taylor
Charity Director Of Box Of Hope

Box of Hope is a charity project aimed at teaching Hong Kong school students about giving through providing useful/educational gifts to underprivileged children in Hong Kong and Asia, which are donated entirely by local school children and organisations. The boxes are collected and delivered directly to the children in need across eight Asian countries.

Victoria Tang-Owen
President Of The Hong Kong Down Syndrome Association

The association is committed to serving individuals with Down Syndrome, intellectual disabilities or other disabilities and their family members with integrated family support and vocational rehabilitation services. In recent years, it’s expanded its social enterprises with the aim of increasing vocational training and job opportunities for people with disabilities, while promoting the concept of social inclusion.
hk-dsa.org.hk

Yvonne Lui
The Yvonne Lui Trust

Established in 2013, the Hong Kong-based Yvonne Lui Trust works with a wide range of NGO partners with a mission to develop sustainability initiatives through innovative solutions, promote the importance of health and enhance the accessibility to quality education and art.
yvonneluitrust.org

Tell us about your charity of choice and more women in philanthropy – contact us with information and links at editor@burda.hk

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As the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children marks its 95th anniversary, philanthropist Jacqueline Chow tells us why the charity speaks to her heart.

For 18 years, Jacqueline Chow has been a leading light of the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children (HKSPC), a tradition she’s carried on from her mother and great-grandmother, and is proudly passing on to her two daughters as well.

Jacqueline Chow on the HKSPC's 95th Anniversary

“My great-grandmother, May Woo, wife of Dr Arthur Woo, used to be a member of the Women’s Auxiliary in the 1930s, which is now the fund-raising committee of the HKSPC,” says Jacqueline Chow. “My mother volunteered for the fund-raising committee for more than 20 years.”

Like their mother, Chow’s daughters have also been aware of the HKSPC since early childhood. Chow tells me she takes them to the centre regularly. “What they observe themselves is more significant and memorable than what I can tell them in words. They’ve helped to sell flags on our charity flag days since they were toddlers.”

Her elder daughter Gabriella helped the charity raise more than HK$200,000 when she auctioned one of her paintings at the HKSPC Little Artists fundraising event earlier this year. “They know very well that being able to give is a form of blessing,” says Chow. “They’re very grateful and feel fortunate to be able to help underprivileged children in Hong Kong.”

This month, the HKSPC celebrates its 95th anniversary, marking a significant milestone since Thomas Maynard Hazlerigg, a former British army officer, established the society with a mission to build a healthy, happy and safe environment for children from all backgrounds.

The longest-established organisation of its kind, the HKSPC serves around 3,000 children and families each day

The society, which opened its first baby health centre in 1951, today operates 29 units serving children aged up to 16, as well as providing support for working and single parents, and low-income, newly arrived and ethnic-minority families, as well as those on social-security assistance (CSSA). The longest-established organisation of its kind, it serves around 3,000 children and families each day.

Chow sat as the chairperson for the fundraising committee between 2014 and 2017, and today, along with her brother Evan, continues to take an active part in the society’s executive and finance committees, and management sub-committee. She proudly tells me she helped bring in almost half the current fund-raising committee members. “I’ve lined up many notable individual donors, institutions, and luxury and local brands to have a wide range of collaborations, along with organising various fund-raising activities,” she says.

The pandemic didn’t dampen the society’s efforts, even as physical fundraising events couldn’t proceed. “We turned every challenge into new opportunities,” says Chow, who quickly adapted to hosting online fundraising series, including Little Musicians and Little Artists, in which young philanthropists were encouraged to take part. During the peak of Covid in early 2020. when supplies were lacking, the HKSPC also rallied members and the public to donate anti-epidemic items to support the needs of children and their families.

Much has been done to safeguard children’s rights, but there’s still a lot to do. In celebrating the 95th anniversary with a Game Night at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club on December 12, Chow hopes that funds will continue to come in to support the society’s various missions.

“Covid has changed the world in many aspects,” says Chow. “Children and their families are facing a completely new lifestyle and unexpected challenges.”

One such challenge was for both parents to find work, which led to day-care shortages, as the HKSPC quickly realised. By March 2020, it had received 1,959 applications for the 329 places at its five-day crèches, almost six times its service quota. Depending on continued funding from patrons and cooperation with the relevant government departments, the society is hoping to open a sixth-day crèche, in North District, to cater to an urgent need from dual-income families.

With pressures continuing to rise on children and families in need, Chow believes maintaining good mental health is also key for the HKSPC’s future campaigns. “Parenting education will be one of the highlights in the next few years,” she says. “We’ll focus on promoting the appropriate parenting style and attitudes towards child-rearing and education issues.’

Aside from her 18 years of active participation in the HKSPC, Chow’s philanthropic efforts include a seat on the board of the YWCA, membership of the Hong Kong Ballet Guild and her work as an independent school manager at the Ebenezer School and Home for the Visually Impaired. Evidently, philanthropy not only runs in her blood, but it also brings her joy.

“I get so much happiness and satisfaction through volunteering for various charities and helping others,” says Chow. “It’s more precious to me than monetary rewards. To me, the more giving you are, the more you will receive.”

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A consultant with extensive experience with top collectors and institutions around the world, Wendy Goldsmith talks to us about navigating the art world, her changing clientele, the Western market and Asian collectors.

Wendy Goldsmith first joined renowned British auction house Christie's 19th Century European Art department in London over 20 years ago. There, she would travel across Europe and West Asia, sourcing key material for auctions and heavily contributing to the house's name and fame. After becoming its youngest Director and Auctioneer, she moved to New York and became the International Head of 19th Century European Art. In 2003, she returned to London and established herself as a private art consultant – Goldsmith Art Advisory.

Goldsmith's experience includes achieving some world-record prices in the art auctioning world while working with top collectors and institutions around the world. These days, she works out of her Mayfair office, focusing on Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary paintings and sculpture. We talk to her about the importance of art advisors, navigating the art world and the Western market, and the changing face of Asian collectors.

Goldsmith Art Advisory's Wendy Goldsmith on Navigating the Art World

Where have you been spending time over the past two years?

The last two years have been spent mainly in the UK. When not working in London, I was exploring many of the regional British museums and staycationing in some of our gorgeous country hotels whenever openings allowed. The only trip abroad was a trip to America last spring when I was able to sneak in due to my American passport. It had been too long not to see clients.

Have you been able to travel when possible during the pandemic and have you noticed people's travel patterns changing due to it?

It was exceedingly difficult for people to travel, hence almost impossible for them to view paintings and attend art fairs – because they simply didn't exist. The vaccine became the gamechanger, allowing the confidence for globetrotting to the world’s cultural capitals once again.

Has the demographic of your client base altered in any way in recent years?

There is no question that the clients have become younger and younger and younger, and they start at a much higher level; in my day you'd have 50, 60, and 70-year-olds buying the great works and the younger ones would start collecting with prints. Now you have 25-year-olds starting with seven-figure pictures which, having done this for so long, I still find extraordinary. 40 percent of the new clients at auction are under 30, as they are so comfortable buying online as well which is where all the sales seamlessly moved to over lockdown. In addition, the depth of the market is like nothing we've ever seen. Almost every country is involved – there were many years when certain nationalities would dominate; the Japanese in the late 80s, then the Russians, then the Italians yet now, literally everyone is enjoying the ride, with Asia leading the way.

Are there particular types of works that are notably popular at the moment?

Art that is popular to Western buyers has been filtering over to the Asian audience over the last few seasons. Now you have Western artists appearing more and more in the Hong Kong sales, which we never saw before when they were dominated almost purely by Asian artists. The experiment was a great success, especially as Asian collectors are educated and sophisticated, wanting to collect in-depth. They started with the obvious artists such as Andy Warhol, but have moved on to the likes of Nicholas Party – not necessarily a household name for those outside of the art world.

Are there obstacles to accessing specific works from the Western market for Asian collectors? How can these obstacles be overcome?

The problem with the current market is that everyone seems to gravitate to the same artists, which makes access the most difficult hurdle. Working with an advisor helps to overcome these obstacles. They have usually worked for years to cultivate relationships with the galleries, along with various other key colleagues, in order for their clients to have priority for the next great work to appear by their coveted artist. The other way to gain access is auctioning, which is why we have seen some outstanding prices in recent years. The person who puts their hand up in the air longest is the one who wins. Cash is king. It’s the great equaliser, without any waiting lists.

How has the pandemic affected your own ways of working?

Technology changed everything, and thank goodness we had it. Viewings were impossible over lockdown although, at one point, I did have a warehouse opened up exclusively to show a client one painting. The entire warehouse was completely empty, except for the managing director showing us around. I had to pull a lot of strings to make that happen, but it was the only way that deal could have gone through. That was early on during Covid but as time went on, collectors became more and more accustomed to buying online, especially new ones, once they were familiar with an artist and could see a high res jpeg, or had faith in the seller such as the brand names of Christie’s or Sotheby’s.

How would you say the pandemic has affected the buying and selling behaviours of your clients? How so for a wider collector base?

It remains a problem for Asian collectors, especially Chinese, as they literally cannot leave the country. Nevertheless, when there is an exhibition in say, Hong Kong, there are queues out the door. Local collectors can’t go elsewhere to view and experience art, so this is a very big event for them, even more so than usual. Art Basel Hong Kong was a huge success in March. Then the series of auctions held at Christie's, Sotheby's and Phillips saw some extraordinary numbers from this captive audience.

When looking at recent sales in Hong Kong, is there anything notable in the types of collectors? Or the prices reached for particular works?

There is a trend in every sale. At the moment, collectors are looking at Black artists, they're looking at women artists and even within this field, they are looking at female surrealist artists. Every collector is always looking for the next big thing which speeds up exponentially. This again stems from technology. There's such unprecedented access to information so people's tastes are constantly in flux.

More broadly, art fairs in Hong Kong (from Art Basel in May to Unscheduled more recently) have in 2021 reported strong sales – do you have any comments on this in terms of what it says about the market in general? Does this have longevity?

The art world is not going anywhere. Again, there's just greater and greater depth of the market as a whole new generation of worldwide buyers come into the marketplace. The younger collectors obviously start at the contemporary side of things with what their friends are collecting and what they understand. Sometimes, they then work backwards to early modern, which looks like such good value in comparison at the moment. On the other hand, their parents started with some classic names they knew from their art history books – Van Gogh to Renoir to Picasso – but as these artists become harder and harder to come by (as well as increasingly more expensive), some of them realise that it was actually more fun in a way, once they collected what they wanted, to move on to contemporary. So it's really interesting where all the generations are meeting.

What might be your predictions as we come out of lockdown?

As we come out of lockdown, people are going to be more and more selective of the number of art fairs they attend, as well as the actual auctions. Having said that, they are also grasping any opportunity to see art in person once more. You can become familiar with paintings by a particular artist but nothing duplicates the experience of actually standing in front of a work of art. Interacting with artists is also the lifeblood for collectors – they love a good studio visit. They get great satisfaction from meeting with artists, understanding their thought processes, seeing their progress, supporting them and often, becoming friends. It is a dynamic that will last for hundreds of years.

Are there art fairs you have booked to visit in your calendar currently, now that some areas are opening up?

The size and numbers of art fairs may become reduced as many of the smaller galleries are realizing that without the huge expenses of these overheads, between travel, shipping and hotel costs, plus of course the cost of renting a booth for the fair, they can do just as much and more with .jpg and online viewing rooms. It’s also an impetus to get clients back into bricks and mortar galleries and view proper exhibitions. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to Art Basel Miami in early December, along with some excellent satellite fairs. Plus, everyone is in a good mood in the sun.

How can people try to navigate a complicated and increasingly overwhelming market?

The art world has become an almost impossible beast to navigate, even for professionals. That's why an art advisor is so essential if you're going to take collecting seriously. It would be physically impossible for a layperson to go to all the exhibitions, auction viewings, museum shows, gallery openings I attend, as well as read all the websites I look at, the previews for the shows and art fairs – not to mention the endless auction catalogues. So you really need someone in your corner: a support system, a teacher and an educator to really understand the complexities of this absolute minefield, especially when there can be so much money on the line. Art advisors pay for themselves, just in that aspect alone.

What advice would you give to burgeoning collectors unsure of how to build their collections?

You can't see enough. Look at art anywhere, anytime and at any opportunity. Start to really understand your taste which is why it also helps to see the bad, in order to understand the good. It can take years to gain the confidence and education to build a collection so there’s no need to rush but if you’re still unsure, some professional advice would make all the difference.

You can find out about Wendy Goldsmith and Goldsmith Art Advisory here.

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Long in the making, Prestige’s Women of Power project came to its first fruition when 72 of this city’s most influential women, plus partners and supporters, came together for an evening of sisterly celebration – and, yes, a touch of glamour – on December 1, at The Hari Hong Kong. During the proceedings, Prestige managing director and publisher Oceana Ou introduced the initiative, which is aimed at creating and honouring an ongoing and expanding collective of women, who have not only enjoyed success but will also inspire and empower others to do the same. 

The evening’s programme included a speech by Prestige’s December cover personality Jennifer Yu Cheng, founder of JYC Girls Impact Foundation, who spoke passionately about encouraging the coming generation to be leaders in their chosen field and how education can empower them. Her address was followed by a panel discussion between Angelina Kwan, a highly respected figure in the fields of digital assets and finance regulation, and Brenda Scofield, chair of The Samaritans, about the role of women in contemporary society and the important steps they’ve taken in shattering glass ceilings along the way. Throughout the evening, guests also took the opportunity to mix and mingle with other honourees – often for the very first time.

Women of Power is more than just a list of names of those deemed successful by traditional standards. It’s a collective built in the hope of creating change in the community and closing the gender gap, as well as recognising women who have paved the way for others and have stories to tell about how they did it. It is, in short, an engaged matrix that sets new standards for the Prestige brand. 

In the months and years to come, Prestige will be creating forums for discussion, mentorship opportunities, panel talks and summits, in which women can discuss how they can work together to make this city greater, better and fairer for everyone. This year’s honourees will remain permanent members of a collective of female talent that will be augmented annually.

The Women of Power event was made possible with the support of UOB, Veuve Clicquot, Chloé and Sauvereign

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When I returned to Hong Kong in April, spending three weeks in quarantine prior to taking the helm at Prestige, I had a lot of time to think. During those days trapped in the Kerry Hotel with nothing but the view from my window and a computer full of emails to keep me occupied, I thought long and hard about all of the things I wanted to do in my new position. From that period sequestered alone, I already had this initiative in mind: Women of Power. A list, but also a group of people committed to learning from each other, to teaching others, and to giving back to the community.

My vision was for an engaged matrix, one that set new standards for the Prestige brand. Yes, we’d had lists before: a regional Power list of tycoons and politicians, year-end round-ups and accolades, top 10s that appear regularly online. Those were created passively, without the participation of the honourees, as an award they could tout in their LinkedIn bios or social media profiles.

Women of Power was envisaged as a collective of 100 women who not only understood the influence they wielded but wished to transfer their secrets and pay it forward, to help other women pave the way to success, in the interest of bridging a gender gap that’s still very much in existence.

As we began the process, we gave up our golden number of 100, because we realised on the way that this wasn’t about achieving an arbitrary round number that looked nice as a cover line: this was about change. Changing the status quo, changing the game. We went for quality, over quantity. We pored through the list weekly, swapping out names and adding new ones, meeting old acquaintances and making new ones, many of whom were recommended by women we approached – one fine example of the kind of empowerment we sought. We went through the arduous process of explaining this ideological commitment, asking women who are already time-starved and juggling multiple titles and roles, to give us their attention and allegiance.

I’m proud to present that vision, realised. These are the fruits of our team’s labours, and the beginnings of a collective that will grow yearly, as our reach expands. I’m so excited to present to you this year’s Women of Power.

Meet the 2021 Prestige Women of Power

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Is it empowering or tokenising when we single out businesses and organisations set up by women? To find out, we spoke to five female entrepreneurs in Hong Kong.

Only about 11 percent of start-ups are founded by women. And during the Covid pandemic, the funding for female-founded companies saw a 28.1 percent decrease than before the outbreak, while male-led businesses saw a much smaller fall of 5.4 percent. Such statistics reflect the indisputable correlation between opportunities and gender, and pose the question whether the term “female founder” is empowering or tokenising.

To some, it seems a perfectly valid way of acknowledging that women are capable of succeeding as much as men, in spite of their journeys generally being more difficult. Others regard it as a double-edged sword that, at best, is a temporary necessity until the world is in a place where all founders and CEOs can be celebrated equally for their accomplishments, regardless of gender.

To discuss the term “female founder”, along with the issues faced today by women entrepreneurs, I spoke to Genevieve Chew and Jacqueline Chak of Edit and Editecture, Ariane Zagury of Rue Madame, Dorothy Chau of Botanic Pretti5 and Harmony Ilunga of HarmonyHK, all of whom set up and own their businesses in Hong Kong.

“In a sense, I do feel that it’s tokenising and somewhat patronising,” says Zagury, who more than 10 years ago was responsible for bringing some of the most revered French luxury brands to Hong Kong with her company, Rue Madame. “But as women founders are so under-represented, they need to be highlighted and supported to provide more visibility and inspire other women. I hope in the future it will be something that need not be mentioned, and that we can look at all founders based on their abilities and what they create rather than their gender.”

Chew and Chak, who pioneer sustainable practices in architecture and interior design with Editecture– and in fashion with Edit – believe that “female founder” is a term of endearment that signals recognition. “I don’t mind it. I think it’s a compliment and acknowledgement for a female nowadays that we’ve worked to this stage that men acknowledge us being a female founder,” says Chak.

“I think it takes so much of a man to acknowledge that, which I find quite charming,” adds Chew.

The workplace and gender

If we dreamed of a society in which the gender roles are blurred, we might question the importance of acknowledging gender roles in the workplace. For Dorothy Chau, founder of the skincare brand BotanicPretti5, there’s no difference. “We still have to show that we’re capable of doing the job, so the gender acknowledgement doesn’t mean anything in terms of the job title or whether it brings a certain halo effect in the corporate world,” she says.

Harmony Ilunga, founder of HarmonyHK, a refugee-curated social enterprise and modelling agency, has a unique perspective on the issues of diversity and equality in the fashion industry and entrepreneurial space in general. To her, gender acknowledgement in the workplace shouldn’t matter, so long as there are codes in place to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard.

“I won’t say that it’s bad, and I won’t say that it matters that much, as long people are being treated equally,” she says. “There’s been a lot of men in decision-making and, at certain times, they tend to forget about the female perspective. If we’re fighting for equal rights, it’s important to hear both genders, to see how both of them can lead.”

How to empower?

Empowerment can take many forms, from corporate policies to something as simple as sharing stories. Even in heavily male-dominated fields, such as banking, there are examples of corporations taking steps to empower women. For example, Goldman Sachs recently pledged US$10 billion in direct investment to address gender and racial bias as a part of its One Million Black Women initiative.

According to HarmonyHK’s Ilunga, support and stories told by women can certainly inspire change. “Obviously, with HarmonyHK, which I founded, I provide a platform for other young people to come in, saying that even though I was in certain circumstances, I was able to create this,” she says. “That’s how we can show how we can overcome certain circumstances. These are things we can do: provide a platform, listen and get as much support as we can.”

Often, stories inspire compassion. Compassion is what creates an environment in which everyone can succeed. Since the dawn of history, women have been subjected to much crueller scrutiny than their male counterparts,
so that today, female founders and CEOs are still expected to meet ridiculous expectations of “having it all”.

“Society is constantly pushing an unattainable ideal of perfection, especially to women – to be the perfect mothers and career women – and all while looking immaculate,” says Zagury. “This is unrealistic and it also provides no room to make mistakes.

“Mistakes, I believe, are essential to success. If we’re too afraid to make mistakes, we’re less likely to take risks or try something innovative, which is key to every successful entrepreneur,” Zagury adds.

Long live the girlboss?

The year 2020 saw an outbreak of negative reports concerning prominent female CEOs who’d previously been regarded as pioneers in their respective industries. They eventually led to the dethronement of prominent figures such as Refinery29’s Christene Barberich, Man Repeller’s Leandra Medine Cohen and Reformation’s Yael Aflalo. As once-promising women who’d supposedly epitomised the word “girlboss” stepped down, it inevitably posed the question whether that era was over. In other words, is it possible for women to remain empowered without making the mistakes associated with patriarchy?

Zagury believes the key is collaboration. “There are so many positive aspects of women leadership and management,” she says. “The Harvard Review found that women excelled and ranked higher than men in 12 out of 16 aspects of leadership – and they showed a higher proclivity for out-of-the-box thinking and resilience.

“Women can bring so much to the table and, for me, I think the importance lies in the genders working alongside each other collaboratively, rather than instilling an ‘us and them’ mentality, both in a corporate environment and at home.”

Ilunga adds an argument on self-accountability. “You don’t have to be confined by patriarchy, as long as you know what your standing rules are and why you came here,” she says. “You know your goal. As long as there’s equality in the workplace and women know their key role and know what brought them into that place and why they do what they do.”

As for Chak and Chew, they envisage a future where true equality exists, and that the journey towards a world free of gender discrimination has begun. “It will be even more equal in the coming future that we can see. I think it’s because, with the respect that men are giving to two females, we have more confidence to do better,” says Chak.

“And I want to give credit for that to the men of today,” says Chew. “A lot of articles talk about how there’s still a little bit of a taboo about women. But I want to say that we’ve moved on quite a lot. Men these days are understanding and they’ve come far.”

Meet the 2021 Prestige Women of Power

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In order to create a collective called Women of Power, one must first define power itself. We examine both historical references and contemporary practicalities in interpreting this fluid and ever-evolving concept, as well as the ultimate goal of this power-full initiative.

Power is a curious thing. Like youth, puppies and Instagram Likes, people are obsessed with it, yet it’s so intangible, subjective and ephemeral that even the pursuit of happiness seems infinitely more achievable (though, admittedly, for some people, the two are intertwined). 

While compiling this collective of “women of power”, we also became acutely aware that power is relative. One of the most common questions received while sending invitations to the women who are featured in this inaugural listing was, “Who else is going to be featured?”

More than an expression of curiosity, this was often a loaded query and a litmus test, the answer to which would determine just how much honour our invitation accorded – and sometimes, whether or not the invitee would acquiesce in being involved. 

That’s quite understandable – arguably we all have some power within us, whether it’s the Deliveroo driver’s power to leave you hungry, or the government’s power to police your speech and behaviour. And though the former will likely affect you more often than the latter, delivery drivers appear on very few power lists.

If we wish to travel back in time via notable quotes, it was Plato who said, “He who does not desire power is fit to hold it.” Churchill took it a step further, noting, “Power is a drug. Who tried it at least once is poisoned forever.”

The implication – a common one – is that power and good are mutually exclusive; that those who desire it are less than worthy. While power for power’s sake is hardly an admirable goal, today even the humblest philanthropists and advocates for the underdog understand that some power is needed to enact change on any systemic level. And so is it terribly 2021 to suggest that there really are few people altruistic enough to deny power when it’s offered?

Today, even the humblest philanthropists and advocates for the underdog understand that some power is needed to enact change on any systemic level

Nelson Mandela noted, in a 2003 speech commemorating the launch of an education and healthcare initiative in South Africa, that “Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.” The vaunted politician and philanthropist was well aware that power is key within his toolkit.

Indeed, it’s worth noting that many of the women featured in these pages – from entrepreneurs to business leaders to activists – agreed to participate in this initiative precisely because it might confer them more power. Power, nowadays, is influence, and though traditional media’s influence has diminished with the democratisation of information access, it still holds some cachet. Power may be a matter of opinion, to some extent, but it becomes ever more concrete once it’s printed in a magazine beside your name. 

For the purpose of this list, it was necessary to hone our definition of power, in order to use it as a benchmark, and so we narrowed it down to impact and ripple effect. We understood that the women who would sit side by side in alphabetical order would hark from different backgrounds, with varying degrees of commercial success and name recognition – a delicate problem exacerbated by perspective, given that one who’s acknowledged in one sphere might not be known in another. 

This list is thus representative rather than exhaustive, acting as a first step towards building a growing collective that encompasses women from all walks of life. 

We sought the names of women whose work and lives were dedicated to disruption and change; people who throughout their careers have attempted to shake up the status quo, whether by action or accident. They’ve inspired others in their circle, or perhaps what they do or represent has become a case study, or model, within another industry. They do things that activate people within society to think harder and broader. And most importantly, they’re willing to give back to this community.

We sought the names of women whose work and lives were dedicated to disruption and change ... most importantly, they're willing to give back to this community

We discussed many issues in the making of this list: how should women who launched and run their own businesses be weighed against those who are employed by large conglomerates and function within a corporate framework, given that the latter could easily change jobs? Is it acceptable to put those with a modicum of success alongside someone who has decades of history trailblazing? How many founders of philanthropic organisations are too many? What’s the split between the old guard and new?

The list includes many who are familiar faces within the pages of Prestige – business bosses, creative leaders, philanthropic forces – as well as those who rarely tour the society circuit and care little for the luxury brands that are this magazine’s bread and butter. They’re activists, anchors, academics. We’ve got a legal eagle who argues on behalf of refugees, a couple of sex-shop owners whose mission has been to normalise sexual wellness before it was on-trend, and a transgender politician who wants to save others from the four suicide attempts she made as a result of societal stigmas while she was growing up.

Note that the designation “women of power” doesn’t simply connote individual influence. It also refers to the mission and directive of this initiative. Prestige has assembled these people not simply to confer honour upon them and not simply to create another “who’s who” list to garner website clicks, social media shares and all the other things that magazines love and need in order to survive today.

As the role of lifestyle media evolves, our authority lies in our ability to curate and amplify the important messages of the day. Admittedly a print magazine and an online portal may not have the impact they once did, though their reach has increased exponentially. But we still have the power to assemble, and the power to empower.

And so we’ve just scraped the surface of power in pulling together this crew. What we ultimately hope to see are electric interactions, strange and beautiful partnerships, and explosive synergies – the kind that are as unexpected as they’re thrilling. 

We’re the matchmakers, but also the platform, and hopefully an idea-monger. And so the true power of this initiative is yet to come. As Lord Varys notes in the popular Game of Thrones, “Power resides where men believe it resides”. 

We believe it resides in women.

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