Hong Kong is much more diverse than all-male line-up at tourism campaign launch suggests

Having only men onstage for the ‘Hello Hong Kong’ campaign launch was a regrettable oversight, especially given how little it reflects the current diversity in government and efforts to promote it in the private sector
The city has come a long way, but mishaps are a reminder that we are still learning

Bernard Chan

Published: 8:15am, 24 Feb 2023

Why you can trust SCMP

It is very unfortunate that one aspect of the launch of the “Hello Hong Kong” tourism campaign has caught considerable attention in the press and on social media, and has shed an unnecessarily negative light on Hong Kong.

The equivalent of a ribbon-cutting ceremony featured Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu alongside relevant government officials. Also on stage were the heads of key bodies associated with the tourism sector, including the Tourism Board, the Trade Development Council and the Airport Authority. In all likelihood, those on stage were simply asked to attend in their respective capacities as a show of support.

When viewed in isolation from the rest of the event, the segment understandably attracted negative comment because of its lack of diversity. This was not intentional and everyone on stage was simply supporting a new initiative to promote Hong Kong as a premier tourist destination, highlighting the vibrancy which Hong Kong has to offer.

The key criticisms relate to the insensitivity of the central image. Clearly the all-male line-up on stage was an insensitive, if unintentional, oversight, and it comes at a time when we still have much to learn about many facets of diversity and inclusion. But there is a genuine recognition of and respect for the value that these facets bring to a modern, progressive society.

Although the now notorious image has become a focal point for many commentators, it is completely unrepresentative of our government, where 12 of our 18 permanent secretaries are women. This is not simply a coincidence, nor is it based on any recruitment or human resources directive; it is simply merit-based and reflects the talent pool in Hong Kong.

According to government statistics, last year 38.8 per cent of our civil servants were women. This compares favourably with, for example, the G20 countries where research has found that on average one in three civil servants are women.

Civil servants head to work at the government offices in Admiralty, on May 31, 2021. Photo: Felix Wong

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), operator of the Hong Kong stock exchange, advocates diversity to its listed issuers in the firm belief that this will strengthen our position as a leading environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) centre in Asia. HKEX has introduced new rules to end single-gender boards, and will not consider diversity to be achieved unless the rules are implemented, with consequences for those who don’t comply.

It is also worth noting that among our listed issuers the number of female directorships has increased from 14.6 per cent in 2020 to 16.6 per cent in 2023. This is a further reflection of the growing awareness of the need for diversity and inclusion within the financial community, and acknowledgement of the commercial value that they bring. HKEX states that “diversity is not a ‘nice to have’, but a business-critical tool”.

I have absolutely no doubt that the feedback following the “Hello Hong Kong” launch ceremony will result in more careful consideration and a more sensitive approach in future to avoid similar public relations mishaps.

However, I also understand how easily a situation like this can occur. I found myself guilty of a similar oversight when I moderated a panel discussion with a group of CEOs in December at the Asia Insurance Forum. During the Q&A session, I received a comment criticising the lack of diversity on the panel which I can say was definitely not intentional, but the comment was correct.

As a result, I learned a valuable lesson which reinforced my understanding of the need for all of us to be more thoughtful and sensitive so that the images we convey reflect the efforts we are making in the areas of diversity and inclusion.

I was also glad to discover shortly afterwards that three of the four speakers in the afternoon panel discussion at the forum were women, which made some amends for our earlier lack of sensitivity in this shifting paradigm.

Ultimately we all benefit from hindsight, but as we move along a particularly sensitive and complex path, it is inevitable that mistakes will be made in addressing issues which we have not necessarily been well prepared for, so empathy, respect and tolerance are needed to fully embrace diversity. And if we are to attract the best talent from around the world to come to Hong Kong, these are ingredients that increase our competitiveness as well as benefiting society as a whole.

Bernard Chan is a Hong Kong businessman and a former Executive Council convenor