Naomi Osaka serves up personal insights at Women Aces in Leadership event
The tennis star joined female athletes and global executives for the panel event, held in conjunction with the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open
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Naomi Osaka among line-up of speakers at Women Aces in Leadership event
In sports and in business, women have long fought for a place at the top. That made the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open a fitting time to bring together a high-profile line-up of international tennis players and executives with global reach for an exclusive event championing the success of female leaders.
Women Aces in Leadership, organised by Prudential, took place last month in Hong Kong. The event was held in conjunction with the women’s tennis tournament, which Prudential has been supporting since 2014, as part of the company’s efforts to spotlight the importance of resilience for younger generations and also drive diversity, equality and inclusion in the sports and business arenas.
Angel Ng, regional CEO for Greater China, customer and wealth, at Prudential Group, said in her opening speech at the event: “One of the missions of Prudential is to encourage people to embrace a healthy as well as an active life. That’s why we are so committed to supporting women in sports.”
More than 120 guests gathered to hear two panel discussions in which seven female leaders from the sports and business worlds, including four-time tennis Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, shared their personal journeys to success in their respective fields.
The first discussion, titled “Rising Stars: Mentorship and Mental Resilience for Tomorrow’s Leaders”, featured Osaka along with Lilian Ng, managing director of the Strategic Business Group at Prudential Group, and Mary Huen, CEO of Hong Kong, Greater China and north Asia at Standard Chartered Bank.
The panellists talked about the challenges that emerging female leaders face, and the role that mental resilience plays in managing high-pressure situations.
“We have to develop the habit of being able to spot the silver lining,” Huen said. “That is the ability to pull yourself out from the failures.”
The three discussed how mentorship can provide guidance for personal growth within a psychological safety net, and also highlighted the “Wonder Woman syndrome” that often affects female leaders as they put pressure on themselves to do well in both their professional and personal lives.
Lilian Ng explained: “This is a pressure that a lot of women put on themselves. It’s a passive expectation of women, and that’s where we need to promote self-care. It’s OK to ask for help.”
As the panel wrapped up, Osaka noted that recognising small wins can offer important lessons during the journey to the top. “Sometimes we lose more than we win,” she said. “I never try to let one point define how the game is going to go – the next point is the next opportunity to execute what you want.”
The second panel, titled “Smashing It! Advancing DE&I on the Court and in the Workplace”, explored the parallels between diversity, equity and inclusion in sports and business, highlighting unconscious biases that can prevent women advancing in their careers.
The speakers included Prudential’s Angel Ng as well as Fiona Nott, CEO of The Women’s Foundation, an NGO; Katrina Adams, a former professional tennis player and the first African-American to serve as president of the US Tennis Association; and Lynn Zhang Ling, a former Hong Kong professional tennis player who serves as assistant tournament director of the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open and other local tennis events.
Zhang shared her perspective of tennis as a game of winning or learning, which can play its own role in advancing the development of an individual.
The panellists also discussed how biases can take different forms in their fields. In sports, they can be seen in parental expectations and media that historically prioritises male coverage. And in business, leadership qualities such as decisiveness and assertiveness are traditionally viewed through a male lens, while the more empathetic style of leadership typically presented by women is often questioned.
Angel Ng highlighted how leaders need to be more observant and call out biases that hinder the advancement of DE&I, as she recalled how a male boss had helped her find her voice in a board meeting among male contemporaries.
“That was very helpful for me to have a voice, but at the same time, he demonstrated leadership,” she said. “As a leader of an organisation, it is important to maintain fair play and transparent guardrails.”
Watch the video to see how the Women Aces in Leadership event unfolded, including highlights from the two panel discussions.