Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: mother fights for gender equality and helps women find their voice
- Jen Flowers aims to give women the platform, audience and courage to have a voice
- She is working towards building culture where women are seen, heard and treated equally
Jen Flowers wants to empower Hong Kong women and create a safe place for them to tell their stories.
She said women were not given a platform to voice their concerns, accomplishments or triumphs.
“Culturally, women are less likely to talk about troubles, mental health, sexuality or disabilities to large groups,” she said. “Yet they have very inspiring stories.”
Flowers said she hoped to provide women with the platform, audience and courage to have a voice.
She is on the HSBC Balance Steering Committee, influencing the bank’s senior leaders to ensure gender equity across the organisation.
Externally, Flowers has been running TEDx women events for 12 years as one of the founding members for TEDxShanghaiWomen.
She is also the founder and license holder for TEDxTinHauWomen where she aims to create a strong community platform to connect, share ideas and inspire women.
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TED is a non-profit organisation based on the sharing of ideas through conferences and talks from people across diverse groups and professions.
Flowers is also an active member of The Women’s Foundation, which promotes full and equal participation of women and girls in all aspects of Hong Kong society.
Her work in promoting gender equality and empowering women has earned her a nomination in this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards.
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The annual event, co-organised by the South China Morning Post and property developer Sino Group, celebrates the achievements of remarkable people whose endeavours may otherwise go unnoticed.
HSBC colleague Amy Lau recommended Flowers for the Spirit of Culture category, which recognises individuals who inspire others to preserve Hong Kong’s legacy or celebrate its heritage and traditions.
Being a mother to two children has encouraged Flowers to fight for a culture where women are seen, heard and treated equally.
Yet it is not just from home that she gets her inspiration. She said HSBC gave her even more energy and confidence with the work it had done to balance gender in leadership roles, adding that Hong Kong had already surpassed the targets set by the bank.
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The group pledged to improve female representation, especially in senior and higher paid roles by having 35 percent of its global senior leadership roles filled by women by 2025. Its Hong Kong operation had already surpassed that target with 37.7 per cent in 2021.
Flowers said the city needed to have more platforms, communities and groups to allow women to be empowered and empower others.
“I believe many women want a culture where openness and sharing are encouraged,” she said.
