20/03/2014

The Women's Foundation and ANZ launch a new Scholarship Award to encourage female undergraduates to pursue engineering and technology degrees at HKUST

Officiating guests at the launch event of TWF ANZ WISE Scholarships: (from left) Prof Tony Chan, HKUST President; Prof Kei-may Lau, President of WISE Scholarship Group and Chair Professor of Electronic and Computer Engineering at HKUST; Ms Susan Yuen, CEO of ANZ Hong Kong; Mrs Su-mei Thompson, CEO of the Women's Foundation; Dr Eden Woon, HKUST Vice-President for Institutional Advancement. [Download Photo]

ANZ donates 30 paintings painted by Susan Yuen, CEO of ANZ Hong Kong, for auction to raise proceeds for scholarship fund.

The Women's Foundation and ANZ announced today an exciting new partnership to address the under-representation of young women in Hong Kong pursuing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects at university.

The need for this support comes on the back of a new study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) for The Women's Foundation showing that the technology sector continues to be largely male-dominated in Hong Kong.

The Women's Foundation and ANZ are partnering to launch new scholarship awards within the Women in Science & Engineering (WISE) scholarship program at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). The TWF ANZ WISE Scholarships will be awarded to first and second-year female undergraduates pursuing degrees in computer engineering, computer science and electronic engineering on the basis of academic excellence.

The TWF ANZ WISE Scholarships will be launched on March 20, 2014 at a reception hosted by ANZ Hong Kong. The event will include the auction of 30 original paintings donated by ANZ Hong Kong. The paintings, all of which have been created by Susan Yuen, CEO of ANZ Hong Kong, are available for viewing on online bidding platform, paddle8.com, and go on auction today for two weeks until April 3, 2014. Proceeds from the sale of the paintings will directly support the TWF ANZ WISE Scholarships.

"At The Women's Foundation, our research shows that women are significantly under-represented in the STEM subjects in Hong Kong in terms of studies and career options due in large part to entrenched gender stereotypes and cultural attitudes, the male-dominated learning environment at university, the absence of visible female role models and the lack of networking and mentorship opportunities," said Su-Mei Thompson, CEO of The Women's Foundation. "We are delighted to be working with Susan and ANZ on this exciting new Scholarship which will hopefully encourage more young women in Hong Kong to consider enrolling in technology and engineering degrees and lasting the course."

ANZ believes in, and supports, greater female representation in the classroom and workplace. Susan Yuen obtained a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in computer science from the University of London, and went on to apply her quantitative and analytical skills to a successful career in banking. Commenting on what led to the donation of her paintings for the launch of the new scholarship, Susan Yuen said: "I wanted to find a creative unique way to support young women in the engineering and technology fields in a way that recognizes and promotes their potential as the next generation of talent and leadership. Painting has long been a passion of mine and I'm delighted that I can use my paintings as a means to encourage them in their endeavors." Susan Yuen and ANZ hope this scholarship will bring greater attention and backing for women studying engineering and technology with strong academic and career aspirations.

Dr Eden Woon, Vice-President for Institutional Advancement of HKUST, expressed his gratitude for the generous support from ANZ and TWF for the WISE Scholarship. "There are many bright women who can contribute greatly in technology-related fields. With the support of society and the business sector, we seek to encourage more female students to take part in engineering training, so they are not left out of these great areas which lay the foundation blocks for social and economic advancement."

HKUST Chair Professor of Electronic and Computer Engineering Kei-may Lau, who is also President of the WISE Scholarship Group and Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), hopes society can change the general misperception that engineering and technology are male-oriented disciplines, in order that more female students will also take up the many career opportunities provided by these disciplines which span science, engineering, education, finance, management, administration and entrepreneurship. "We are looking to recruit the best WISE students to join the highest ranked program to kick off with a good start for the scholarship."

About The Women's Foundation
Established in 2004, The Women's Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls in Hong Kong. We meet our goals through ground-breaking research, innovative and impactful community programmes, and education and advocacy.

About ANZ
ANZ's history dates back over 175 years. We are committed to building lasting partnerships with our customers, shareholders and communities in 33 markets in Australia, New Zealand, Asia Pacific, Europe, America and the Middle East. The No.1 bank globally on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), ANZ provides a range of institutional, commercial, retail, wealth management and private banking solutions to around 8 million customers and employs 48,000 people worldwide. ANZ's global connections and deep local insights provide customers access to Asia Pacific's expanding trade and investment flows, supporting their domestic requirements and connecting them with ANZ's global expertise.

About the WISE Scholarship Group
The WISE Scholarship Group is an affiliate of the Women's Faculty Association at HKUST - co-founded by HKUST faculty members including Prof Pascale Fung, Prof Kei-may Lau, Prof Nancy Ip, Prof Elizabeth George, Prof Helen Shen, Prof Rashimi Adaval, Prof Agnes Ku, Prof Bik Tye and others, to facilitate young women's interest and career development in science and technology and promote diversity at HKUST.

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