Women Empowerment Awards: A Conversation With Sue Cheng
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The Women Empowerment Awards in China were created by the Women’s Advisory Council, which was initiated by SCHS Asia and AmCham China. The awards seek to recognize trailblazing individuals and innovative companies that have demonstrated a robust commitment to promoting women in the workforce in order to encourage greater gender equality and drive stronger business outcomes in China. The winners for the awards will be announced at the 2021 Women’s Economy Summit in April, so make sure to nominate the person or company of your choice that you think has done the best job empowering women in workspaces!
To learn more about the cause, Ms. Su Cheng, the founder, and CEO of SCHSAsia was able to take time from her busy schedule to allow the Beijinger's sister publication, beijingkids to have a chat with her.
Firstly, could you briefly introduce yourself?
I am the Founder and CEO of SCHSAsia with over 25 years of experience in China. I have served on the Board of the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham) for a number of years, and I am the co-chair of Women Professional Committee of AmCham.
I have been actively involved in the Beijing business community, managing projects and serving the needs for a number of destinations, not-for-profit organizations, community organizations, and bilateral associations in the areas of strategic consulting, event management, fundraising, public and media relations, promotion and marketing.
Before becoming an entrepreneur, I was engaged in the corporate arena and held management positions at The Boeing Company, United Technologies Corporation, and The Capital Club in Beijing.
Could you briefly explain what SCHSAsia does and what you do in your position as the company’s head?
Officially launched in 2009, SCHSAsia is a consulting company focused on consulting on Diversity and Inclusion with a focus on Empowering Women. In addition, we support companies on their special projects in the area of education and philanthropy. SCHSAsia has served the needs of destinations, not-for-profit organizations, community organizations, and bilateral associations.
We pride ourselves on our ability to provide clients with specific, individually tailored management solutions. We also believe in being socially responsible in making a positive impact in our community via supporting many non-profit organizations.
Could you please clarify the relationship between SCHSAsia and the Woman’s Advisory Council?
The Women’s Advisory Council was initiated by SCHS Asia and AmCham China in 2019. Our current members are: BP, Chayora, Coca Cola, Dow, ExxonMobil, HPE, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Mars, Microsoft, and SCHS Asia.
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What drove you to decide to participate in/initiate the Women Empowerment Awards in China?
I have worked on empowering women with AmCham for many years. As a board member, I deeply believe that it’s important that women’s voices are at the table and heard.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, women were more negatively impacted than men. Studies have shown that the pandemic has burdened women with more responsibilities including childcare and household chores, while some of them working from home.
However, in times of crisis, we may not focus our attention on the trend that women are more negatively impacted. This is why we want to bring more awareness about how companies and individuals are supporting the efforts of empowering women. And more importantly, we want to ensure that this work continues and more resources are put in place to support women to succeed both personally and professionally.
Please briefly explain the nomination system and criteria to someone that has had little to no knowledge on the topic of Women Empowerment Awards in China.
The purpose of these awards is to raise awareness of diversity and inclusion in businesses in China and to celebrate those that are taking the lead. The Awards were launched at the 2020 Women’s Economy Summit, which is the largest gathering of women leaders in the AmCham China community, Its mission is to raise awareness of the key role women play in global economic development.
The Women Empowerment Awards in China are divided into three individual awards and three company awards. Both women and men, and multinational companies and small and medium enterprises are eligible for nominations.
To learn more about the criteria and different awards, check out their blog dedicated to introducing the different awards.
Is there a criterion for people that can nominate someone else? More specifically, I’d like to know the age range for selecting someone!
You can nominate anyone, including yourself, for the individual category awards, as long as they are part of a business or organization that has a local office in China. As for the age limit, there are no age requirements for the awards “Outstanding Woman Leader of the Year” and “Male Ally of the Year”. As for the “Innovative Young Woman Leader of the Year” Award, we are recognizing young women leaders who are under 35 and advocate for gender equality. They aspire to and have the potential to be future senior leaders.
What do you think is the best way for our readers to take action to support women and feminism?
The key is to be aware of our own stereotypes and biases towards women and men. We need to be aware of what we are teaching our children and have conversations about gender stereotypes and biases. Both men and women should help and support each other. We need male allies and women leaders that are positive action-oriented role models to encourage girls and young professional women to continue to strive for their dreams of becoming leaders in our companies and communities!
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Images: UNSPLASH, AmCham
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