Blind Spots At The Top – Why Homogenous Leadership Fails

Eileen brings more than 25 years of business development and consulting experience across markets world-wide, including Europe and the US, with 20 of those years in Asia-Pacific, and based in Hong Kong. She was latterly a leader in the Client & Industry team at EY (Asia Pacific) Ltd, focused on the financial services industry, and she worked closely with technology partners to drive digital transformation for clients across the region. A qualified Non-Executive Director, Eileen brings a strong governance perspective to discussions on board composition, effective decision-making and the risks of groupthink.
As a passionate champion of social inclusion and diversity, Eileen is the Chair of the British Chamber’s Women in Business committee driving growth in membership and increasing the focus on advocacy and policy work with government. Eileen is a member of The Women’s Foundation (TWF) Allies Circle and was a mentor on the 2021/22 cohort of the TWF mentoring programme.

For 15 years, Eileen successfully led fundraising for The Christina Noble Children’s Foundation in Hong Kong raising several million dollars from events and corporate sponsorship, and today she sits on the board of the Royal Geographic Society as well as the fundraising board of Inspiring Girls, where the vision is “to empower the next generation of female leaders in Hong Kong”. This hands-on board experience, combined with her governance training, informs her interest in how diverse perspectives shape better boardroom decisions.

Eileen holds the internationally renowned Financial Times Non-Executive Director (NED) diploma and a BSc in Biology from Goldsmith’s, University of London. A permanent resident of Hong Kong, Eileen is originally from the UK, of Irish ancestry, and takes advantage of living in a city by the sea from hiking the many trails or swimming in the seas around Clearwater Bay and Sai Kung. She earned her marine boat driving license at the first attempt in 2007.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

• With my board and NGO involvement, I make it a personal goal to raise sustainability/ESG reporting as a discussion item wherever I sit on a board this year, if it isn’t already on the agenda.
• Hong Kong’s landfills are close to capacity and the government has shelved the municipal waste-charging scheme for now, so personal habits (including mine) matter more than the policy currently in place. The government could be encouraging residents to be properly set up with the colour-coded recycling bins (blue/yellow/brown) rather than relying on general waste.
• On a personal level, I have tried to minimise my flights, or at least offset the ones that I take. Also I am attempting to “buy nothing new” for the next three months, especially clothing — Hong Kong’s fast-fashion culture makes this challenging but meaningful.

Victoria Wisniewski Otero is the Founder & CEO of Resolve Foundation, an award-winning Hong Kong s88 nonprofit organization whose vision is for a Hong Kong where everyone belongs and upholds inclusion. Resolve’s core programs include a flagship Community Changemaker Fellowship for emerging social inclusion leaders. Its model includes one of Hong Kong’s first participatory grantmaking model. Resolve also runs Stand By Me, a program in local secondary schools to promote more inclusive campuses through youth-led solutions.

She was formerly the Advocacy and Campaigns Manager at Justice Centre Hong Kong, Researcher at the Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR) and UN HABITAT. In 2020, Victoria became part of Voice for Social Good, an NGO Taskforce of Women Leaders in response to COVID 19. From 2019-2020, she sat on the Membership Advisory Group of the CIVICUS Global Alliance’s Solidarity Fund. She has also been an advisor for Public Interest Law Network’s Law For Change Student Competition.

Victoria was honored with Prestige’s Women of Power in 2025, the AmCham Women of Influence Award in 2020, Tatler’s 2018 Generation T List. In 2026, she was also listed under Diversity Hub’s Pillars of Our Community. She is a proud mother of four kids under five and passionate about making Hong Kong more family-friendly for everyone regardless of their background. She lives in “Asia’s World Village” of Mui Wo, where she has discovered the joys of trail runs, open water swimming and Lantau’s rich biodiversity.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

• I would like to promote the concept of micro-inclusions more among the general public. Resolve would like to do more public exhibitions and public-awareness storytelling campaigns on this in the coming years.
• I want to ensure that the next generation of young people in Hong Kong are champions for a more equal and inclusive society, that they feel empowered to take steps to be allies.
• There is much room for more collaboration between civil society groups on the intersection of diversity and inclusion and climate change. Let’s break down these siloes more. Rethink is a place to start.

Rebecca Sharpe is the Chief Financial Officer and an Executive Director on the Board of Cathay. She is also a director on the boards of a number of the Cathay Group subsidiary companies. Before joining Cathay in January 2021, Rebecca held senior finance positions for the Swire Group in the Chinese Mainland, Singapore and immediately prior to joining Cathay, as Group Director Finance at Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited.

Rebecca began her career with KPMG in the UK and, prior to joining the Swire Group in 2008, she worked for Rolls-Royce plc in the UK and in Hong Kong.

Rebecca is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

In her role as Chief Financial Officer, Rebecca has responsibility for the Group’s financial reporting, corporate financing, taxation, Global Business Services, and sustainability. She also provides supports to the following teams – Group Internal Audit, Group Opportunities and Risks, Group Legal and Compliance. Rebecca is also a co-sponsor of the Cathay Gender Equity Network.

Olivia Wong is the General Manager – Environmental & Social Responsibility at MTR Corporation Ltd and is responsible for formulating and implementing clear and effective strategies in achieving MTR’s social and environmental objectives and in championing the corporation’s ESG efforts and commitments.
Prior to joining MTR, Olivia spent her entire professional career with the Swire group in different business units including Cathay Pacific and Swire Properties. Her last role in John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Ltd was the Group Head of Diversity & Inclusion where she developed a coherent diversity and inclusion (“D&I”) strategy and aligned D&I initiatives across the Swire Group.

At Swire Properties Ltd. she was the Director HR & Administration and prior to that she was General Manager – Leadership Development at John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Ltd with responsibility for recruiting and fostering talent for the Swire Group. She started her career in Cathay Pacific and held leadership roles in Hong Kong, Southeast Asia and Europe.

Olivia graduated with a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree from the University of California, Berkeley and has an MBA from the University of Michigan. She is a resolute volunteer with Habitat for Humanity since 2005 and recently stepped down as Chair of Habitat for Humanity Hong Kong after serving on the board for nine years. She continues to serve as a director on Habitat for Humanity International board. She has joined the board of ImpactHK in September 2025.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

My personal hope for Hong Kong in 2026 and beyond is that sustainability becomes understood and practised as an inseparable balance between environmental and social impact. We need to move beyond recognising this relationship in theory, and embed it in the way decisions are made, partnerships are formed, and progress is measured. I also hope Hong Kong will embrace the opportunities of AI responsibly — ensuring this powerful technology accelerates climate and sustainability solutions while helping to build a more equitable society where everyone can benefit. Above all, I hope to see deeper and more genuine partnership across civil society, with government, corporates, educational institutions and NGOs working together with shared purpose to build a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient Hong Kong.