Heidrick & Struggles Connects Elite Business Leaders with 60 Underprivileged Students in Hong Kong

Heidrick & Struggles hosted 'Meet the CEO' at the graduation ceremony of the Community Business' ENGAGE Mentorship Programme.

Senior business leaders Frank Wong, President of Scholastic Asia, and Kitty Yung, Founder and Chairman of Victor Asia (also Former Executive President of American Eagle Outfitters, Asia Pacific), shared their personal stories to inspire the young participants to pursue their life goals.

The six-month ENGAGE Mentorship Programme, organised by the not-for-profit Community Business, aims to bring together community partners and the private sector to empower secondary school students from disadvantaged backgrounds to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and achieve upward social mobility.

"We are grateful for the support from Heidrick & Struggles in the ENGAGE programme, and for the generous sharing from the business leaders at the closing ceremony which will leave a lasting impression on the students. The ENGAGE programme has had a powerful impact on the students, the corporate mentors and other volunteers, and the companies that have provided work placements and other support," said Fern Ngai, Chief Executive Officer of Community Business. "I am glad to see that the students are more confident in planning for their future, including the tertiary education. This high-impact programme shows how community investment beyond donations and philanthropy can create long term benefits for the wider community and business."

Karen Fifer, Managing Partner of Heidrick & Struggles' Consumer Markets Practice, Asia Pacific, added, "As a leadership advisory firm, we recognize that having the right mindset, determination and advocacy enables one to go much further – and Community Business' ENGAGE programme empowers young people to do just that. We feel privileged to have introduced two elite business leaders to the local students, who were inspired and will be motivated to have bigger dreams and career goals."

Frank Wong, President of Scholastic Asia, said, "The new generation may find it harder to succeed in today's Hong Kong. I didn't grow up in a wealthy family myself and now work for the world's largest children books publishing and distribution company. By sharing my personal story with the students, I want to give them a message of hope, and stress to them the importance of perseverance and tenacity."

Kitty Yung, Founder and Chairman of Victor Asia, commented at the ceremony, "A lot of successful leaders are seen as 'lucky' but the truth is that the majority of them have put tremendous amount of time and efforts to get to where they are today. I hope that the students will find something they are good at and start preparing to be 'lucky.'"  

In July, Heidrick & Struggles also supported a mock job interview session for the ENGAGE mentees. A group of search consultants from the Hong Kong office helped improve the students' job interviewing skills, and taught them how to present themselves favorably in the shadowing interviews offered by a group of socially responsible companies which support the ENGAGE programme.

About Community Business' ENGAGE Mentorship Programme

ENGAGE was created in 2002 by the International Business Leaders Forum and Business in the Community (BITC) and is currently supported by BITC's International Leadership Team in 35 cities globally. ENGAGE Hong Kong is designated to be carried out by Community Business, a not-for-profit organisation promoting responsible and inclusive business practices in Asia. The programme is designed to help alleviate poverty by empowering secondary school students from disadvantaged backgrounds to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and achieve upward social mobility, including planning for higher education. www.communitybusiness.org/engage