FOREWORD BY THE ZUBIN FOUNDATION

Welcome to Diversity List and Community Connectors 2018.

When we first launched Diversity List in 2016, the mandate was clear: to give Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities a voice in decision making and policy, particularly in government advisory bodies. Hong Kong’s non-Chinese population plays an important role in international trade, professional services, education and many other fields, yet their voices are mostly absent in policy discussions that affect the lives of themselves, their communities and the city as a whole.

I believe that now, more than ever, the time has come for Hong Kong to include voices from these communities. After all, among Hong Kong’s greatest assets are its internationalism and its rich history of ethnic minorities choosing to settle here. Hong Kong must embrace these assets – both as part of her identity and also as part of her future.

Diversity List is a list of incredible individuals, all of whom have excelled in their field of work, are committed to Hong Kong and are willing and able to serve on advisory bodies. They have been selected independently of The Zubin Foundation by our invaluable advisory partners at Spencer Stuart Hong Kong.

Since unveiling our first Diversity List some 24 months ago, eight candidates have been invited to sit on 10 Hong Kong government committees. This is impressive and demonstrates that the Hong Kong SAR Government (HKSARG) recognises the ethnic minority population’s skills and commitment to Hong Kong. We are grateful to Mrs. Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of HKSARG, for supporting this initiative, and we hope to see more diverse individuals engaged with the government in the future.

Over 50% of our candidates this year are female, and we have candidates from more ethnicities. This shows that there is a growing appetite amongst many non-Chinese Hong Kong people to participate in defining Hong Kong’s future. In addition, we continue to acknowledge “Community Connectors” — individuals who have deep grassroots knowledge of specific communities and the ability to mobilise them.

This year we introduce a new category: “Youth to Watch”. As the Hong Kong economy continues to transform into one that is increasingly digitally driven, capturing and channeling the ideas of young leaders from different backgrounds will be critical to the city’s future.

Diversity List is an innovative public policy-related project that would not have been possible without the generous support of both Town House and Caravel Foundation, who have sponsored the initiative since the very beginning.

We are also grateful to Allen & Overy, KPMG, and our fabulous venue sponsor, The Peninsula Hong Kong. Thank you, too, to the many individuals and organisations who helped to spread the word about Diversity List in their communities.

Finally, many congratulations to all the individuals named to Diversity List 2018. Your commitment to serving Hong Kong and creating a better and more inclusive future for all of us is an inspiration.

Shalini Mahtani, MBE Co-Founder, The Zubin Foundation