Wives and mothers are often likened to being the CEO of a family. In Laura Cha Shih May-lung's case, she has been a successful CEO at home and in the workplace.
Juggling priorities has been part and parcel of Cha's career, which has taken her from practising law in the United States to a position as a top securities regulator in Hong Kong and an appointment as vice-chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission from 2001 to 2004.
That made Cha the first person from outside the mainland to join the central government at vice-ministerial rank.
Cha is a member of the Executive Council and is the immediate past chair of the University Grants Committee, among other public service roles.
She is also non-executive deputy chairman of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, and a director of several leading companies in the region.
Cha says she has been guided by the principle that integrity is of utmost importance, no matter how difficult the situation. 'We must do the right thing and do it right and this applies to everything we do in life,' she stresses.
Family support has been another vital factor in her working life. 'I didn't start my career until my children started going to elementary school, when they were six and nine years old. And then I was lucky enough that my parents emigrated to California and helped to look after my children for two to three years,' she explains.