The Front & Female Awards Hong Kong 2023 on November 30 was a celebration of the pioneers championing the progress of women in Hong Kong
When: November 30, 2023
Where: Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong’s Atrium and Library
Who: Libby Alexander, Jennifer Yu Cheng, Nicole Denholder, Taura Edgar, Catherine Gurtin, Patricia Ho, Judy Kan, Shalini Mahtani and more.
Here’s what you missed:
For the second year in a row, the Front & Female Awards celebrated pioneers championing the progress of women in Hong Kong. The 2023 edition of the awards, emceed by Front & Female regional content director Rachel Duffell, saw a hundred women in attendance; they sat down to an elegant luncheon at the Atrium and Library at the Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong. Guests included the awards’ 20 nominees, who were honoured for their work in championing the progress of women in the city. The event was supported by headline sponsor Standard Chartered Private Bank, which has been steadfast in its initiatives in driving diversity and inclusion in the workplace and in growing its pool of women in leadership positions globally.
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Tamara Lamunière, the founder of Front & Female, opened the ceremony by sharing her excitement about being surrounded by so many inspiring women and supportive men. A welcome speech from Duffell followed, reflecting on the growth of Front & Female since its establishment in 2020. After introducing the 20 nominees, she invited actor Dolly de Leon, who had flown in from the Philippines, to the stage, for a fireside chat with Lamunière. De Leon, who made history as The Philippines’ first actor to be nominated for a Golden Globe and invited to be a member by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the organisation behind the Oscars, recounted how she pursued her career as an actress while being a single mother of four.
“Because cinema did not write characters for people like me, I had to come at peace with always playing the role of the auntie, or other kind of side characters,” she said. “Directors would only refer to me as my role’s name, which was quite dehumanising, and on top of that, I had debts I needed to pay back. I almost gave up acting, until one of my daughters convinced me to pursue my dream.” De Leon’s role in the 2022 comedy and thriller Triangle of Sadness earned her a Golden Globe nomination in the following year, propelling her career to new heights.
