2019 Australia China Alumni Award for Women in Leadership

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This award is designed to celebrate and honour a woman who not only inspires others but has also proven herself a leader in her field. 

Opened to female alumni only, nominees may come from any sector, including business, government, non-profit and academia and should have demonstrated a commitment to the Australia-China community in China.

All nominees should have made significant strides and accomplishments in their work life, either in the public or private sector.

To view the finalists of other categories, please click HERE

Ms Sally Begbie

In 1995, Sally, with her husband, Malcolm, started the NGO, Crossroads Foundation. Over the years, it developed four services.

Global Distribution: Initially, Crossroads focused on giving quality surplus goods, to people in need: 50% to 500 charities & Social Welfare agencies in Hong Kong and the balance to over 90 countries.

Global Hand:  In time, donors in other countries wanted to give so Sally and her team developed Global Hand, an online ‘matching’ service. The UN asked her to adapt this for its own interaction with companies. They built www.business.un.org

Global Handicrafts:  Sally and her team then opened a marketplace to sell goods, on a fair trade basis, generating income for people in need.

Global X-perience:  Knowing that ‘life has dealt many of us a kind hand’, they began experiential programmes to simulate world need and deepen empathy. These invite people to step, briefly, ‘into the shoes’ of those facing war, poverty, HIV, blindness, hunger, and more. 200,000 school and business participants have taken part. These include world leaders, over the past decade, at the World Economic Forum.

Sally, along with all 70 staff at Crossroads, has never had a salary for this work. They run, she says, ‘on inspiration and perspiration’.

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Theresa is a Partner of the Global Mobility Services at PwC for the South China region based in Hong Kong SAR. She is a Certified Tax Adviser and a Fellow of CPA Australia, The Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants and The Taxation Institute of Hong Kong. Theresa was the President of CPA Australia Greater China Division in 2010. Currently Theresa serves as the Deputy Chair of the Taxation Committee and is also a member of Women in Leadership Committee for CPA Australia Greater China Division.

Theresa is a role model for women not only because of her corporate achievements. In addition to her professional duties, Theresa is involved in a number of charitable organisations. She is a Council Member of the Hong Kong Bone Marrow Foundation.  Theresa gives back to her Alma Mater Belilios Public School, as a member of Belilios Old Girls Foundation. She is also a member of the Hong Kong Global Leaders’ Network Advisory Committee for Monash University to assist in building the alumni network in HK SAR. Theresa has been a member of Rotary Club of Hong Kong Harbour from 1997-2017 and was President of the Club between 2004-2005.

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Honnus has twenty years’ financial experience in the high-tech, on-line media, e-commerce and travel industries. She has built a solid reputation and remains a well-respected member of the finance community.   She works as Chief Financial Officer, Asia and General Manager, China for Travelzoo (NASDAQ:TZOO) and she is the Founding Executive. She is also the INED and Audit Committee Chairman for Iclick (NASDAQ:ICLK).

Prior to Travelzoo, Honnus worked as the Regional Finance Director for Yahoo Asia for nine years and she was the founding member for Asia. At that time, she was heavily involved in setting up the Asia operation and dealing with mergers and acquisitions, including the strategic investment in the Alibaba Group. She has also held various professional positions with American Standard Inc and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

She is the Chair of The University of Queensland’s BEL Ambassador Council (HK) since 2017. She remains a Mentor for the University of Melbourne – Global Business Practicum Program for 6 consecutive years and The University of Queensland’s Idea Hub since July, 2019.

Honnus holds an MBA from Northwestern University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from The University of Queensland. She also studied Sustainability Leadership and Directorship at University of Cambridge in 2018. She frequently contributes to leading professional publications including A Plus, Intheblack, Treasury Today, CFO Innovation and Corporate Treasure.

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Ruby has been the director of AirPlus Industrial Group which has diversified business activities for many years.  The group consists of AirPlus Industrial, Sea Gull Industrial, Lok Hin Shanghai, Trade Plus Asia and representative offices.  One of the business units engages in air engineering design, consulting and supply of HVAC systems, components and parts to textile manufacturing plants. It is in strategic alliance with local sales agents in South Asian countries and the original machinery manufacturers in China and Italy.  There are units focused on import and export trading of industrial products and others deal with property management and investments in local and overseas markets of Shanghai, China and Switzerland, Europe. 

In her present capacity, she is responsible for implementing and updating company strategies, increasing shareholder return and enhancing company performance and operational efficiency.  She leads and coaches her staff and supports them for professional development.

Her past significant role prior AirPlus, she was an executive director for the regional quarter of a leading Swiss conglomerate before its privatization for some years. She reported to her parent company in Zurich Switzerland for the financial assignments, managerially administered its office in Hong Kong, performed regular internal audits for its Taiwan office and engaged in joint-venture setting up and infrastructural project financing for its Shanghai office.

She holds a graduate diploma in consulting and change management in addition to other professional diplomas in commercial studies, a master degree of business (M Bus) in e-commerce and a master degree of business administration (MBA).  She is a certified management accountant (CMA, Australia) and a certified management consultant (CMC) of The International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMI).  

She was the honorary treasurer (2014/2016) and honorary co chair membership (2010/2014) at IMCHK, the local institute of ICMI. She taught postgraduate diploma course for management consulting held by IMCHK & Hong Kong Productivity Council.  She is a guest speaker for continuous professional development (CPD) seminars and an occasional MC for happy ceremonies.

She fulfils from her charity work experience, supports WWF marine conservation of no shark fin in banquet menu, advocates green environment and shares healthy veggie recipes among relatives and close friends in her spare time.

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I am currently working in Marriott International group, as Director of Revenue Strategy, market support for Greater China. Working in this role, I spend most of the times on different markets across China to support continent team to build up cluster teams and drive strategy and providing strategic consultations to individual hotel for achieving their business goal. Building the talent pools for Marriott group in revenue management field is also one of my focus now.  

As an employee in Marriott International group, I embrace the company culture to attend different charity programs such as Marriott Run to Give charity run program and charity dinner to support ‘Operation Smile’ in the hope to create more awareness to children with cleft palate in China.  

I am also the member of the Asia Pacific Hotel Association (APHA), Shanghai branch & China Real Estate Chamber of Commerce CRECC; taking the role of deputy secretary general to support and organize the quarterly and yearly industrial conferences in China area; aiming to enhance the communications and understanding between hotel management companies and owners. Providing exposure and platform to hoteliers in China and Asia pacific to share their best practices in management; leadership and development in and open discussion environment.

Awards & Recognitions – Asia Pacific 2015 Quarter 4 Revenue Management Business Leadership award Asia Pacific 2014 Quarterly Award (Q4) – Most improved index – Guangzhou Marriott Hotel Tianhe.

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Now leading the Talent Acquisition function at Citi Hong Kong, Cecilia has built a career in advising and attracting global talent to Asia Pacific Region. Cecilia is passionate about Diversity and Inclusion in all its form, and as such she has been advocating diversity recruitment and has worked closely with her community to bring people’s awareness on various human rights issues such as LGBT+ and equal opportunity for all students in Hong Kong.

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Prof. Weiwei Liu, as a pioneer to introduce the concept of patient safety into China’s health industry, has conducted a series of patient-safety related researched in primary health care, general hospitals, maternal and child health institutions and other health facilities to explore the status, causes and strategies of patient safety in China, in the collaboration with Australian mentors in La Trobe University (Prof. David Legge, Prof. George Liu and Dr. William Peng) funded by WHO Patient Safety Research Small Grants, La Trobe University Faculty Research Grants and China-US Center for Medical Professionalism, Peking University Health Science Center. Besides those academic researches, Prof. Liu also has introduced WHO Multi-Professional Patient Safety Curriculum into Peking University Health Science Center to promote awareness of patient safety among medical students.

Prof. Liu is the director of Second Outpatient Department, Peking University Third Hospital, and also a master supervisor of general practice in Peking University Health Science Center. Due to her excellent academic achievements, she has many other academic responsibilities, including the standing commissioner of General Practice Committee of Cross-Strait Medical and Health Exchange Association, the commissioner of General Practice Committee of China Medical Women’s Association, and the Editorial Board Member of Chinese General Practice.

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During her tenure within the aviation industry, Caddy held various positions including Business Development leader for Honeywell Airport Business in Asia, as well as Sales leader in Siemens Airport business North Asia. Caddy had played a key role in expanding the company’s portfolio and developing the business in new markets.

She has been invited as a speaker for the following events:

– Intelligent Airport Technology for China Civil Aviation Development Forum 2015(Changsha, China);
– US-China Aviation Summit 2016 (Washington D.C., USA)
– Aviation Industry Forum 2017 (HongKong)
– International Technical Seminar on Aviation Safety and Digital Operations 2019 (Chengdu)

Caddy holds a MBA (Aviation Management) degree from RMIT University.

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