I am a third generation Scottish Hong Konger, my grandparents immigrated from Hong Kong to Scotland to escape poverty in the 60s. My father helped my grandparents out at their fish and chips shop growing up and studied hard between customers to later earn a PhD. He landed his first job as an expat professor in Hong Kong, where he met my mother who was a nurse. She is the eldest sibling of six and supported all her siblings to study at university with her salary while she couldn’t afford to go to university herself.
When I was ten, my parents sent me to a boarding school in Scotland where I couldn’t speak English (or Scottish!) and I had to learn the language and navigate UK culture on my own. I was lucky enough that my Scottish school friends who were only children accepted me and made me feel Scottish despite my difference in race, language, economic background, and culture. I believe if children could empathise with people who are different from them then why can’t adults in the financial sector!
After my studies in the UK, I returned to Hong Kong to start my career at CLSA as an Equity Research Associate and later worked for ADM Capital Foundation as an ESG Associate incorporating ESG in private debt, venture capital, private equity as well as impact funds. I worked on a sustainable rubber plantation transaction where I gained first-hand experience on diversity issues for indigenous people and smallholder farmers in Indonesia.
Currently, I am the Responsible Investment Manager for London CIV focusing on stewardship with Diversity and Inclusion as one of our key priorities. Diversity but most crucially inclusion and equity hold extreme importance to me, I believe people from different backgrounds deserve the support needed for them to strive and feel like they belong (just like how my Scottish school friends made me feel Scottish!).
Outside of work, I mostly talk about my Shiba Inu and I like getting my hands dirty at home renovation work.