Diversity and Equal Opportunities Unit are proud that HKUST will continue the Advocate partnership in 2026/27 with The Women’s Foundation (TWF), a leading Hong Kong NGO advancing gender equality through research,community programs, and advocacy. We remain the first local university to join any of TWF’s workplace programs. This partnership reflects our commitment to championing diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus and beyond.

Call for Applications

How to join 26/27 programs - for HKUST staff only (Application deadline: July 6, 2026)

Interested HKUST faculty and staff members should submit applications as follows:

Mentoring Program for Women Leaders

Application form for mentor (application will be opened soon)
Application form for protégé (application will be opened soon)
For more information about the program: Mentoring Program for Women Leaders

Male Allies Program

Internal application form
For more information about the program: Male Allies Program

Boardroom and Senior Leadership Program

Internal application form
For more information about the program: Boardroom and Senior Leadership Program

For more information, please refer to the internal email sent to all staff. For any questions, please contact Diversity and Equal Opportunities Unit at deoc@ust.hk. All applicants are encouraged to speak to their managers about their interests before submitting the applications to any of these programs.

Virtual internal info session for all faculty and staff

Please join a virtual internal info session at 1-2pm HKT on May 26, 2026 to find out more about the programs available for you to be part of, what are the benefits and hear testimonials from HKUST 25/26 participants.

Date: May 26, 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Format: Virtual via Zoom
Registration: Please register here with your HKUST email and reserve your virtual seat.

Speakers:

• Ellie CHAN, Senior Officer (Educational Evaluation), Center for Education Innovation, HKUST; Participant in TWF 25/26 Mentoring Program
• Prof Stephen SHIH, Associate Dean (MBA Programs), HKUST; Participant in TWF 25/26 Male Allies Program
• Prof Amy ZANG, Associate Professor of Accounting, HKUST; Participant in TWF 25/26 Boardroom and C-suite Leadership Program
• Sasha ANDERSON, Manager, Pipeline Initiatives, The Women’s Foundation
• Clara HOPKINS, Assistant Manager, Pipeline Initiatives, The Women’s Foundation
• Niru VISHWANATH, Senior Director, Pipeline Initiatives, The Women’s Foundation

About the speakers

Ellie CHAN, Senior Officer (Educational Evaluation), Center for Education Innovation, HKUST; Participant in TWF 25/26 Mentoring Program

Ellie Chan is an Educational Evaluation Specialist at HKUST with over 12 years of teaching experience in higher education. She turns complex learning data into actionable teaching strategies, with a particular interest in how AI is reshaping learning. She aspires to move beyond analytics to uncover the cognitive and motivational drivers that foster genuine student engagement. She is a 2025/26 Protégé in The Women’s Foundation Mentoring Program, dedicated to shaping the future of evidence-based education.

Prof Stephen SHIH, Associate Dean (MBA Programs), HKUST; Participant in TWF 25/26 Male Allies Program

Stephen Shih is the Associate Dean (MBA programs) and an Adjunct Professor of Management at HKUST. Prior to joining HKUST, Stephen was a Partner at the global consulting firm Bain & Company. At Bain, he worked with clients on strategy and organization challenges. He has been based in Bain’s Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Boston offices. In addition to his consulting work, he also had responsibilities including Head of Asia-Pacific Organization Practice, Head of Asia-Pacific MBA recruiting, and Executive Vice President, Learning & Development.

He has been interviewed for insights on business in China by media such as The Economist, CNBC, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal and management education by Bloomberg Businessweek and the Financial Times. He has served on the Boards for Junior Achievement China and Concordia International School of Shanghai. He also led Bain’s partnership with AmCham China’s annual Business Climate Survey and led a research program with LinkedIn on China business talent.

Prof Amy ZANG, Associate Professor of Accounting, HKUST; Participant in TWF 25/26 Boardroom and C-suite Leadership Program

Amy Zang is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Accounting at HKUST and the Co-Director of the Center for Securities Analysis with Financial Technology. She holds a Ph.D. in Accounting from Duke University and an undergraduate degree from Tsinghua University. Her research expertise spans financial analyst behavior, textual information disclosure, and the application of artificial intelligence in accounting and finance, with numerous papers published in top-tier international journals such as the Journal of Accounting and Economics, Management Science, and The Accounting Review. She has long taught accounting courses at the business school, dedicated to integrating accounting education with digital and intelligent technologies, and serves on the editorial boards of The Accounting Review and Contemporary Accounting Research.

Sasha ANDERSON, Manager, Pipeline Initiatives, The Women’s Foundation

Sasha Anderson joined The Women’s Foundation in 2024. She is currently Manager, Pipeline Initiatives, managing the Mentoring Program for Women Leaders, the Boardroom and C-suite Leadership Program, and the Advocates Network.

Clara HOPKINS, Assistant Manager, Pipeline Initiatives, The Women’s Foundation

Clara Hopkins joined The Women’s Foundation in 2023. She runs the Male Allies Program and supports various board diversity initiatives including the Women to Watch Platform.

Niru VISHWANATH, Senior Director, Pipeline Initiatives, The Women’s Foundation

Prior to joining The Women’s Foundation as Senior Director, Pipeline Initiatives in May 2025, Niru Vishwanath worked in Hong Kong’s Equal Opportunities Commission for 14 years. Having started in the Corporate Communications Division, she moved into the newly established Ethnic Minorities Unit in 2015. Her role covered policy advocacy, stakeholder engagement, training and programmes geared to improving equal access to opportunities in education, employment, access to services and overall integration of racial minority groups in Hong Kong. One of her key initiatives was the development of the EOC’s Racial Diversity & Inclusion Employer Charter in 2018 which is aimed at making workplaces more inclusive. She oversaw the growth of the Charter signatory list to over 500 companies from launch.

Niru Vishwanath’s early career was in Marketing Communications having worked in banks, advertising agencies and retail in India, Hong Kong and Hungary. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, a Diploma in Journalism and a Masters in Business Administration degree from India. During a long career gap owing to motherhood and moving countries, she also picked up a qualification (TESOL) and experience as a teacher of English to speakers of other languages. Niru is a passionate advocate for women’s health and volunteers at the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation.