Stronger Together: Building Women’s Networks to Achieve Corporate Sustainable Development

Key Takeaways:

• Enable female employees from diverse backgrounds, ages, and positions to connect through interactive workshops and networking events, fostering resilience and mutual support.

• Establishing mentorship programmes that pair senior executives with younger employees to offer tailored guidance cultivates the next generation of women leaders.

• Refine DE&I initiatives iteratively by embedding employee feedback, ensuring they remain responsive, impactful, and aligned with an inclusive workplace culture.

Supporting women in the workplace drives not only sustainable development and organisational success, but also advances gender equality to create broader social impact. While governments worldwide advocate greater female employment and contributions, corporations may play an equally significant responsibility to create environments where women can truly thrive.

Sino Group’s Sino Women Connect (SWC) initiative stands as a strong case study of how organisations can champion inclusive workplaces that uplift women. Through its triad of structured networking, mentorship, and responsive feedback mechanisms, SWC has crafted an ecosystem where women feel valued and supported to thrive.

Elaine Liu, Director and Chief Human Resources Officer of Sino Group (centre) attended the retreat and found it inspiring and rejuvenating. It highlighted the importance of dedicating time to self-care.

Networking as the Foundation of Empowerment

Recognising the intersectional pressures women face - juggling careers, families, and societal expectations - SWC was designed to forge a supportive network among its female employees from diverse backgrounds, roles, and age groups.

Elaine Liu, Director and Chief Human Resources Officer of Sino Group, explains, “As part of our sustainability efforts, we priortise diversity and inclusion to ensure an equitable workplace that our female employees feel inspired to recharge, connect, and rise together.”

In under a year since its launch, SWC has become a vibrant platform facilitating open conversations and connections among participants. Through engaging activities such as tea meetings, yoga, meditation workshops, and urban farming sessions, female employees have found opportunities to network, share experiences and address challenges related to professional growth, family, and personal well-being.

Female colleagues from various departments at Sino Group connected and engaged in guided mindfulness activities, including body scan mediation, singing bowl sessions, chakra alignments, art expression, and creative sharing.

“These activities inspire female employees to focus on self-care, time management, and resilience,” Liu observes. “They help women navigate the complexities of their roles as colleagues, mothers, daughters, and community members.”

A Platform for Growth and Inclusivity

Beyond networking, SWC’s learning series transforms connection into capability through a dynamic lineup of talks and seminars related to women’s health, work-life balance, and leadership. Liu shares, “These sessions delve into important topics related to women, promoting personal growth and enhancing work-life balance. The invaluable career tips and uplifting stories shared resonate with us all, motivating each of us, regardless of our roles.”

The Sino Women Connect initiative includes talks and seminars with inspiring guest speakers.

“Colleagues, along with their families and friends, were inspired to embrace fresh perspectives on disability inclusion, gender equality, mental wellness and cultural diversity through interactive activities” says Liu.

Mentorship: One-on-One Support for Lasting Impact

While group activities foster a sense of community, the SWC mentorship programme is designed to inspire by matching senior female leaders with younger employees. The initiative provides one-on-one guidance and crafts a space for wisdom-sharing and breakthrough growth.

“My mentor didn’t just advise me - she helped me see possibilities I’d never considered,” reflects one mentee. Others highlight how these relationships provide not only career navigation but also crucial insights on sustainable success.

 “Through mentorship, participants gain clarity on their potential”, says Liu. “Mentors, in turn, find fulfilment in guiding the next generation of women leaders.”

A Culture of Listening and Continuous Evolution

Another defining strength of SWC lies in its continuous improvement through active feedback. According to Liu, SWC places great emphasis on 360-degree communication, actively listening to employee feedback and refining its offerings, while treating every participant as a co-creator of the initiative’s future. 

“Our approach emphasises collaboration rather than a top-down model, encouraging employees from different positions and departments to exchange ideas. This commitment to diversity and inclusion enriches our workplace environment, making it more dynamic and engaging for all. Together, we are building a community where every voice is heard and valued,” Liu shares.

Supporting Women at Every Stage

Sino Group’s dedication to gender equality extends beyond SWC. The Group has implemented forward-thinking workplace policies to support women at every stage of their careers. With a nearly 1:1 gender ratio and over 40% of management roles held by women, Sino Group is committed to maintaining a gender balance in all management positions by 2030.

Additionally, the Group has introduced family-friendly policies to help working mothers balance their professional and personal responsibilities. These include extended maternity leave of 18 weeks and 10 days of parental leave during the first year after childbirth. The Group’s efforts in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) have been widely recognised. Sino Land was honoured as a Gold Employer in the inaugural Women Workplace Index - Hong Kong’s first certification programme assessing and recognising transparency in workplace representation and practices for women. 

Sino Group’s initiatives, like SWC, not only support its female workforce but also drive a positive cultural shift across the organisation and the wider community.

The "Women Circle Gathering" afternoon tea gathering was the first activity of the Sino Women Connect initiative. Nikki Ng, Director of Philanthropy of Sino Group (second right), and Elaine Liu, Director and Chief Human Resources Officer of Sino Group (second left), connect with female employees from various departments to share experiences in a relaxed environment.

“We are dedicated to introducing new initiatives that resonate with our employees’ interests and needs while creating opportunities for meaningful engagement,” Liu concludes. “Since the launch of our initiatives, we have committed ourselves to understanding what women truly want. Through open communication with female employees, we gathered valuable feedback that helped us identify their interests. The feedback has been very positive. The enthusiasm and engagement levels we have witnessed suggest that SWC is enhancing workplace culture and employee satisfaction.”