Over 300 Corporate Representatives and Experts Gather in Hong Kong to Explore How Diversity and Inclusion Drives Competitive Advantage

HONG KONG, Nov. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- On 11 and 12 November in Hong Kong, Community Business, a not-for-profit organisation focusing on corporate responsibility and a thought leader on diversity and inclusion (D&I) in Asia, will bring together over 50 opinion leaders and experts in the D&I field from around the world at its Diversity & Inclusion in Asia 2014 Conference, the 6th time the conference has been held.

With the theme Diversity & Inclusion -- Driving Competitive Advantage, the conference will take the discussion of D&I to a new level. Looking beyond the workplace, delegates will explore tangible ways in which D&I drives competitive advantage -- unleashing creativity and innovation, tapping new markets, winning new customers and ultimately increasing revenues.

"We have worked hard to help companies understand that embracing diversity and inclusion is critical to being an employer of choice," said Mrs. Fern Ngai, CEO of Community Business. "But if we are to engage business leaders and make diversity and inclusion core to business strategy, we have to help companies see the link with achieving competitive advantage in the external market place. That's what this conference is all about."

For the first time, the Conference has specific tracks for different audiences. The Female Advantage Programme on Day 1 is specially designed for those looking to leverage the competitive advantage that female talent brings to leadership and organizational success in Asia, whilst the Taking the Lead with LGBT Programme on Day 2 is targeted at those passionate about progressing LGBT inclusion in Asia and achieving market differentiation. Besides these two tracks, there are breakout sessions on culture, disability, religion, and generations, as well as a wealth of case studies that will stimulate dialogue and offer practical takeaways for delegates to bring back to their workplaces.

Over 300 business leaders, senior human resources and diversity professionals, corporate and public affairs peers, related consultants and representatives of NGOs from Hong Kong, Australia, Europe North America and other Asian countries have registered to join the engaging conversations with globally renowned thought leaders and opinion makers, including:  

• Shubha Chacko, Executive Director, Solidarity Foundation, and Director, Aneka
• Agnes Chan, Managing Partner, Hong Kong and Macau, EY
• Gigi Chao, Executive Director, Cheuk Nang (Holdings) Ltd and an advocate for LGBT rights
• Rosalind Chin, Reporter, Bloomberg Television
• Susanne Yuk-Ping Choi, Professor of Sociology and Co-director of Gender Research Centre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Roy Chua, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University
• Tracy Ann Curtis, Founder and Principal Consultant, TAC Global
• Annemarie Durban, Group Head, Independent Governance; & Workplace, Standard Chartered Bank
• Simon Feeke, Head of Workplace, Stonewall (UK)
• Deena Fidas, Director, Workplace Equality Program, Human Rights Campaign Foundation (US)
• Mark E Fowler, Managing Director of Programs, Tanenbaum
• Avril Henry, Managing Director, Avril Henry Pty Ltd, and author of books"Leadership Revelations II How Australians Lead in Crises" and "Breaking Down Generational Barriers At Work"
• Dawn Hough, Director, Pride in Diversity (Australia)
• Jane Hyun, Founder & President, Hyun & Associates, and author of books "FLEX" and "Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling"
• Ramy Inocencio, Wall Street Journal Deputy Editor, Video, Asia Pacific
• Christine Ip, Managing Director, CEO Hong Kong, United Overseas Bank and Advisor, Faith and Global Engagement Program for University of Hong Kong
• Mark Kaplan, internationally renowned thought leader and co-author of the highly acclaimed business book, "The Inclusion Dividend: Why Investing in Diversity & Inclusion Pays Off"
• Raj Kumar, Vice President of Global Consulting, UCSI Consulting
• Shalini Mahtani, MBE, Founder and Board Director, Community Business
• Keerthana Mohan, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Asia Pacific, Google
• Shakir Moin, VP & Chief Marketing Officer, Greater China & Korea, Coca-Cola Beverages (Shanghai)
• Apurva Purohit, CEO -- Radio City 91.1FM and author of "Lady, You're Not a Man"
• Janet Ramey, Vice President, Technical Services, Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China, Cisco
• Su-Mei Thompson, CEO, The Women's Foundation
• Gulnar Vaswani, Principal Consultant, Best Foot Forward International
• Nadine Vogel, CEO, Springboard Consulting LLC, and author of "DIVE IN, Springboard into the Profitability, Productivity and Potential of the Special Needs Workforce"

Since its debut in 2005, the Diversity & Inclusion in Asia Conference, organised by Community Business every 2 years, has become the primary forum for discussion on D&I issues as they relate to Asia -- with an established reputation for bringing together the most inspirational and informed speakers on the subject and pushing the boundaries of discussion. The platinum sponsors of the Conference this year are Coca-Cola and Standard Chartered Bank, and gold sponsors are Cisco and Google, all of them champion D&I in Asia and are long-term partners of Community Business.

For details about the Diversity & Inclusion in Asia Conference and the speakers, please visit: http://programme.communitybusiness.org/diasiaconf2014/ and https://www.facebook.com/DnIAsia.

Follow live feeds of the Conference with the hashtag #DIAsia on Twitter.

Media Contact:

Joy TSANG
Communications Manager, Community Business
+852-2201-1818;
+852-9486-4364;
joy.tsang@communitybusiness.org

About Community Business

Community Business is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to lead, inspire and support businesses to improve their positive impact on people and communities.  As a thought leader in corporate responsibility in Asia, Community Business conducts research, facilitates events and networks, leads campaigns and provides consultancy and training.  Its major areas of focus include: Corporate Responsibility Strategy, Diversity & Inclusion, Work-Life Balance and Community Investment.  Founded in 2003 and based in Hong Kong, Community Business works with leading organisations across the Asia region. For more information, http://www.communitybusiness.org.

©2014 Community Business Limited. All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of this document (in whole or in part) is not allowed without prior written permission of Community Business Limited and due acknowledgment of authorship. If use of this document (in whole or in part) will generate income for the licensee, prior written permission to that effect must be obtained from Community Business Limited. To obtain permission, write to ip@communitybusiness.org.