Media OutReach
2026 Outstanding Women Professionals and Entrepreneurs Award Nomination opens until April 30
The first OWA dates back to 1999, 3 years after HKWPEA was inaugurated, and has been running at a few years’ interval since. The 2026 OWA is the 9th to be organized to recognize outstanding Hong Kong women professionals and entrepreneurs, to celebrate excellence, spotlight role models and to showcase the continuous contribution made by women in the current age and New Economy.
The press conference was hosted by HKWPEA represented by office bearers including Ms. Julianne Doe, President; Partner of Hui Doe & Sum Law Firm LLP; Ms. Jennifer Tan, Chairperson, Organizing Committee of 2026 OWA; Senior Advisor of Ant Digital Technologies – International Business and Partner of 01F Group; Ms. Marina Wong, JP, Chartered President; Ms. Helen Kan, Immediate Past President, HKWPEA; Ms. Sandra Mak, Director, Ms. Angel Hon, Director, and Ms. Agnes Koon, Director, HKWPEA.
Ms. Jennifer Tan, Chairperson, Organizing Committee of 2026 OWA, said: “Coming out of the challenging pandemic years, we found ourselves faced with global economic uncertainties and severe geopolitical issues calling for strong leadership and audacity to innovate and advance. Against this backdrop, we find it even more meaningful to celebrate outstanding women professionals and entrepreneurs in Hong Kong and thank them for their tireless contributions to society. Their accomplishments are leading lights for the younger generation. By highlighting their success, we encourage future leaders to chase their dreams and pursue sustainable initiatives to benefit communities and mankind.”
Nomination for the 2026 OWA recognising achievements in professions and business categories begins today until April 30, 2026. Six awardees will be selected by an eminent judging panel. The nomination form can be downloaded from HKWPEA website: https://www.hkwpea.org/
47 outstanding women have been selected in the past 8 OWA events. A few past OWA awardees were present at the press conference for a brief fire-side chat at the media conference. They are Dr. Eliza Yi Wah HO FOK, Winner, 2021 OWA, Chairman of the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation; Prof. Helen MENG, Winner, 2017 OWA, Patrick Huen Wing Ming Professor of Systems Engineering & Engineering Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Dr. Rebecca LEE, Winner, 1999 OWA, Founder of Polar Museum Foundation. While sharing their key to success, they also encourage women from different fields to come forward and join the award scheme.
Ms. Marina Wong, Founding President of HKWPEA, announced the 2026 OWA Judging Panel composition:
- Mr. Benjamin HUNG Pi Cheng, BBS, JP, President, International for Standard Chartered (Head Judge)
- Ms. Agnes CHAN Sui Kuen, BBS, Chairman, Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce
- Ms. Teresa KO Yuk Yin, BBS, JP, Former Senior Partner, Hong Kong and China Chairman, Freshfields
- Hon. Jeffrey LAM Kin Fung, GBM, GBS, JP, Member of the Executive Council
- Professor Charles NG Wang Wai, PhD, Vice-President for Institutional Advancement, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- Dr. Rosanna WONG Yick Ming, DBE, JP, Senior Advisor, The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups
Independent Advisor:
Professor Andrew CHAN Chi-fai, SBS, JP, Emeritus Professor, Department of Marketing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Business School
Since the inception in 1999, the award has achieved recognition in selecting women who provide outstanding examples to business leaders, peers and youth alike, in their high standard of integrity and ethical values. HKWPEA was established in 1996 as a non-profit organization by a group of local women professionals and entrepreneurs. They have come together to develop a strong support network, to create practical and innovative learning and business opportunities for themselves and for others, to promote high professional standards, and to respond to consultations of the HKSAR Government on various policy issues.
HKWPEA website: https://www.hkwpea.org/
Special thanks to Hong Kong Economic Times, our Media Partner
Hashtag: #HKWPEA
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Outstanding Women Professionals and Entrepreneurs Award
Past Winners of Outstanding Women Professionals and Entrepreneurs Award
1999
Professor Rosie Young, Dr. Polly Cheung Suk-yee, Ms. Rebecca Lee Lok-sze,
Ms. Augusta Chui, Ms. Chong Kin-wo, Mrs. Anna Sohmen
2002
Professor Felice Lieh Mak, Professor Hu Shiu-ying, Ms. Rita Chan Pui-kwan,
Ms. Ella Cheong Shuk-ki, Ms. Mary Ma Xue-zheng, Dr. Magdalena Wong Man-kun
2005
Professor Nancy Y Ip, Ms. Vivien Chen, Professor Grace W K Tang, Ms. Sandy Yip Fung-ying, Ms. Vivienne Tam, Ms. Chiang Lai-yuen
2008
Professor Karen Lam Siu-Ling, Professor Vivian Yam Wing-Wah, Ms. Yao Jue,
Ms. Eleanor Law Kwai Chun, Ms. Bianca Ma Kin San, Ms. Deborah Wan Lai Yau
2011
Dr. Edith Mok Kwan Ngan Hing, Ms. Starry Lee Wai King, Mrs. Margaret Leung,
Dr. Margaret Chung Wai Ling, Ms. Gao An Feng, Ms. Wong Siu Ling
2014
Ms. Susanna Chiu Lai-kuen, Professor Leung Suet-yi, Ms. Nancy Sit Ka-yin,
Ms. Daisy Poon, Mrs. Annie Tse Yau On-yee, Mrs. Viola Wong Ho Suk-ying
2017
Professor Pascale Fung Ngan, Professor Helen Meng Mei-ling, Ms. Judy Chan, Professor Karen Chan Ka-yin and Dr. Jane Lee Ching-yee
2021
Ms. Ashley Galina DUDARENOK, Dr. Eliza Yi Wah HO FOK, Ms. Vivian Ying Shih LEE, Prof. Christine Kung-wai LOH, Ms. Winnie Wan Chi TAM, Ms. Jennifer Yuen Chun TAN
Asia’s first Design & Innovation Festival announces its venue and key speakers — where Japanese design expertise meets the cultural diversity of Asia
| Name | SYNC Design & Innovation in SITE 2026 |
| Date | Friday, June 26, 2026 |
| Venue | Paragon Hall, 5th Floor, Siam Paragon, Bangkok, Thailand |
| Admission | Free (advance registration required) |
| Languages | Thai / English / Japanese |
| Website | https://syncforum.asia |
| Organizer | Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. |
| Production & Co-organizers | FOURDIGIT Inc., National Innovation Agency (NIA), Thailand |
| Supported by | Creative Economy Agency (CEA) |
| Production partners | Y’s Connection Inc., J-WAVE, Inc., iDID |
Hashtag: #FOURDIGIT
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Code4Mzansi highlights the growing strength of South Africa’s developer ecosystem and the role of youth-led innovation in shaping the country’s digital future
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – Media OutReach Newswire – 26 May 2026 – South Africa’s emerging developers are building close to the ground, with many of the strongest solutions at the inaugural Huawei Code4Mzansi finals focused on systems people use every day: township retail, healthcare, energy, agriculture, payments and the creative economy.
The competition was held in partnership with the Department of Small Business Development. “The Code4Mzansi competition is not just a celebration of achievement, it is a launchpad for the future,” said Minister Stella Ndabeni, whose department co-hosted the event and delivered the closing address.
The finals revealed a clear shift from building abstract digital products to practical tools that help small businesses trade better, communities access services more easily, and local industries solve problems faster.
Four finalist teams focused directly on the township economy, with solutions covering food safety verification for spaza shops, offline point-of-sale systems built for load-shedding, WhatsApp-native marketplaces for informal retailers, and community credit systems for SASSA grant recipients.
Others addressed AI-driven healthcare access, electricity theft detection, smart agriculture, financial infrastructure for the creator economy, and AI-generated African music.
Held at Huawei Office Park in Woodmead, the finals brought together more than 100 attendees, including government representatives, academic partners, industry leaders and media.
“The quality of the finalist solutions demonstrated the potential of local innovation to respond to real market needs,” said Steven Chen, Cloud CEO of Huawei Technologies South Africa.
Academic partners included the University of Pretoria, the University of Johannesburg, the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Cape Town.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and technology is their greatest accelerator. The participants here today are future entrepreneurs who will drive South Africa’s digital economy forward,” said Professor Thokozani Shongwe, Vice Dean of Postgraduate Studies, Research and Internationalisation at the University of Johannesburg’s Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment.
Industry partner rain also attended. Leon Nortje, Principal and Senior Architect at rain, said the competition offered a strong view of the country’s emerging technology pipeline.
“It is always good to see new projects and new teams working on solutions that are valuable and industry-related. We will be looking out for potential new employees,” said Nortje.
The winners
The finalists competed for a prize pool of R800,000. MAAT by SIMVAK was named the overall grand winner and received the Business Value Award, taking home R300,000. The platform addresses food safety and regulatory compliance in South Africa’s informal retail sector through AI agents, real-time product recall alerts, and counterfeit detection for the spaza shop ecosystem.
“The spaza network is the supply chain for most South African households,” said SIMVAK founder Shingirayi Mandebvu.
HealthHive by FTCK received second prize in the Business Value Award category, taking home R200,000, for its AI telemedicine platform that matches patients with the right medical practitioners based on their symptoms.
Auraa received the Grand Innovation Award for its AI music engine built to generate authentic African sound. The platform has been associated with an album that has crossed one million streams.
The Future Star Award went to e-Khadi, a community credit and stokvel platform giving SASSA grant recipients access to essentials at their local spaza shops, supported by AI-assisted credit scoring and fraud detection.
The People’s Choice Award, voted by the public on Huawei’s social media channels, went to DevRift, a semi-finalist in the competition, who took home R100,000.
Minister Ndabeni delivered the closing address, positioning Code4Mzansi within the government’s agenda for youth entrepreneurship, small business development and digital inclusion.
“Our task is to ensure that innovation does not remain a moment of applause, but becomes a pathway to enterprise creation, digital inclusion, and sustainable growth,” she said.
“Thank you to Huawei for being a perfect partner on the journey that we are travelling, and of course, those that matter most, the developers who dared to compete,” she said.
Code4Mzansi forms part of the global Huawei Cloud Developer Competition. In its inaugural edition, South Africa attracted more participants than any other country: 1,041 across 353 teams, including 176 enterprise teams, resulting in the highest enterprise participation rate among all competing markets. Twenty semi-finalists were selected before the top nine advanced to the final.
For the finalists, the work is just beginning. As Minister Ndabeni said, “Go home today proud. But tomorrow, wake up, build again.”
Hashtag: #Huawei #Code4Mzansi #SouthAfrica
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About Huawei
Founded in 1987, Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. With 213,000 employees operating in over 170 countries, we serve more than three billion people worldwide.
Huawei is committed to bringing digital to every person, home, and organisation for a fully connected, intelligent world. In 2025, Huawei generated CNY880.9 billion in revenue, reinvesting 21.8% (CNY192.3 billion) into R&D, with about 53.7% of its employees working in R&D. As a private company fully owned by its employees, Huawei focuses on customer-centric innovation and open collaboration to create lasting value and drive technological breakthroughs globally.
For more information, please visit Huawei online at www.huawei.com or follow us on:
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Congratulating Dr Lai on her achievement, John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said that the HKSAR can “transform from a ‘supporter’ of the country’s great aerospace endeavours into an ‘executor’ “.
“This not only demonstrates the HKSAR’s capability in contributing to the country’s development into an aerospace power, but also showcases how Hong Kong could better integrate into and serve the overall national development,” Mr Lee said.
“This mission is of great significance, as it is not only the first manned spaceflight mission during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, but also the first time for a payload expert from the HKSAR to participate in it.”
The Shenzhou-23 crew will conduct on-orbit rotation with the Shenzhou-21 crew. The crew, including Dr Lai, will stay in the space station and conduct multiple experiments and applications in various fields such as scientific applications.
The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR Government, Professor Sun Dong, led a delegation to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center to witness this historic moment. Members of the delegation included other government representatives, I&T experts, youths and students.
“I truly believe this is a great demonstration of Hong Kong integrating into and serving the overall national development through concrete actions, while contributing our strength in I&T,” Professor Sun said.
” ‘Science and technology is primary productive force, talent is primary resource, and innovation is primary driver of growth.’ The HKSAR Government will continue to drive the development of I&T, accelerate the establishment of an international I&T centre, and make greater contributions to building our nation into a strong power in science, technology, and aerospace.”
Commissioner for Innovation and Technology of the HKSAR Government, Mr Ivan Lee, said that the Government had been providing funding support for universities and research institutions in conducting aerospace technology-related projects through the Innovation and Technology Fund.
“In 2024, we launched a special call for funding applications, inviting universities to submit project proposals related to aerospace technology. Following a selection process, we supported six projects. Among them was the Multi‑Spectral Imaging Carbon Observatory (MUSICO) developed by a team from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology,” he said.
On the Tiangong Space Station, Dr Lai will conduct experiments including operating the MUSICO — the world’s first lightweight, high-resolution synergistic observatory for carbon dioxide and methane emission point sources.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Dr Lai is a Superintendent of the Hong Kong Police Force. In the recruitment exercise of China’s fourth batch of preparatory astronauts launched in 2022, she was successfully selected as a payload expert and was deployed to the China Astronaut Research and Training Center for training.
Before embarking on the historic spaceflight, Dr Lai expressed hope that it would inspire more Hong Kong youths to devote themselves to the field of I&T, thereby contributing to the country’s scientific and technological self-reliance and strength.
Hashtag: #HongKong #BrandHongKong #I&T #aerospace #technology
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