St. Patrick’s Day: A Conversation with Deputy Consul General Sadbh O’Reilly

In celebration of Women's History Month, we are shining a spotlight on Hong Kong's ethnically diverse women entrepreneurs and founders who are breaking barriers and redefining success. Among the organizations championing their achievements is the Foundation for Shared Impact (FSI), which empowers these women by fostering collaborations and opportunities.

Coming from diverse cultural backgrounds, these inspiring women are leading businesses in sustainability, tech, beauty, and F&B, proving that diversity is a driving force for change and progress.

Each of their journeys reflects the power of women and inclusivity in entrepreneurship, inspiring future generations to continue breaking barriers and leading with purpose and resilience. Continue reading to learn more about these incredible women!

Lucia Loposva, GREEN Hospitality

Lucia Loposova is a sustainability expert and educator with over 13 years of experience, dedicated to driving positive change in the hospitality industry. Originally from Slovakia and now based in Hong Kong, she founded GREEN Hospitality in 2021 to lead sustainability initiatives in strategy, training, and innovation.

GREEN Hospitality is a charity that offers programs, research, training, and industry events while empowering youth and hospitality partners to drive sustainable change.

Lucia and her team work closely with hotels, restaurants, and supply chains to implement responsible business practices, focusing on waste reduction, sustainable food systems, and carbon footprint management. She also collaborates with industry leaders, academia, and the government to promote sustainable tourism and net-positive hospitality.

To learn more about GREEN Hospitality and the programs available, visit their website and Instagram. 

Lamia Sreya Rahman, Seekr by Vidi Labs

Lamia Sreya Rahman is a Hong Kong-born Bangladeshi tech entrepreneur, social justice advocate, and the city's first Bangladeshi lawyer. Her experiences navigating systemic challenges as an ethnic minority have fueled her commitment to advocating for equity, inclusion, and social impact.

As the Co-founder of Vidi Labs, Lamia and her team developed Seekr, an award-winning AI assistant designed to support the visually impaired and elderly. She leads business development, partnerships, and legal affairs at Vidi Labs, while also serving on the board and as a fellow of various impact, diversity, and equal opportunity organizations, including Migrasia and the Resolve Foundation.

To learn more about Seekr, visit their website and Instagram. 

Senchhelung Chemjong, Nepcha under Tagera Traders

Senchhelung Chemjong, also known as Senchu, is a Nepalese entrepreneur and law graduate. Upon her return to Hong Kong, she struggled to find opportunities in the legal field. Eventually, she founded Tagera Traders, a premium food distribution company, turning obstacles into opportunities to create her own career path.

Tagera Traders specializes in sourcing premium food and beverages, operating in both B2B and B2C models, including supplying organic Nepalese teas through its flagship brand, Nepcha. Nepcha partners with Nepalese farmers' cooperatives to source organic, high-altitude artisan tea. 

With a focus on quality and exclusivity, the company is in the process of securing dealership rights to distribute a premium Nepalese apple wine.

To learn more about Tagera Traders and Nepcha, visit their Instagram.

Castro Luisa Tan, ILM Foundation

Castro Luisa Tan, also known as Nadia, is a multilingual Filipino-Chinese Muslim revert and dedicated community organizer. Before founding the Institute of Leadership & Management Foundation (ILM Foundation), she worked as a teacher, career counselor, media team advisor, and Child Development Fund Project Manager in Hong Kong.

ILM Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering ethnic minorities through skills development, social innovation, and collaboration. Since its establishment in 2021, it has helped build five start-ups, supported over 68 families through the Child Development Fund, and engaged over 3,000 students in various programs.

To learn more about ILM Foundation, visit their website and Instagram.

Jerwine Que, The Blomstre

Jerwine Que is the visionary Co-founder of The Blomstre, an eco-conscious brand specializing in individually hand-poured home fragrances. After working for 11 years in the finance industry, she decided to build a brand with her husband that blends her Filipino heritage and Hong Kong experiences into the business.

The Blomstre focuses on soy candles, essential oils, and room sprays. Inspired by Filipino artisanal heritage, the brand crafts its products in small batches using natural and organic ingredients. It also emphasizes sustainability by providing reusable, plastic-free packaging.

You can shop their products in both Hong Kong and the Philippines! 

To learn more about The Blomstre, visit their website and Instagram. 

Yulia Kim, Blooms Forever

Yulia Kim, Founder of Blooms Forever, turned her lifelong passion for flowers into a sustainable business after leaving the corporate world. Drawing from her multicultural background—having lived in Uzbekistan, Russia, South Korea, and now Hong Kong—and cherished childhood memories, she set out to build an eco-conscious brand that offers real, long-lasting flowers as an environmentally friendly alternative to fresh blooms.

Blooms Forever specializes in bespoke preserved and dried floral arrangements, blending sustainability with artistic craftsmanship. These long-lasting flowers provide elegant, low-maintenance beauty for various occasions and spaces, including homes, businesses, and special events, offering a timeless alternative to traditional floral arrangements.

To learn more about Blooms Forever, visit their website and Instagram. 

Sneha Roy & Emmy Sandt, a collective space

Sneha (Sne) Roy and Emmy Sandt created a collective space in the scenic neighborhood of Mui Wo, where creativity and therapeutic practices come together. Sne, a psychologist specializing in marginalized communities, and Emmy, a skilled carpenter and designer, combined their expertise to highlight the therapeutic benefits of woodworking.

a collective space offers a safe and inclusive environment for self-expression and community building through a series of workshops and training sessions designed to enhance everyday living and working spaces.

To learn more about a collective space, visit their website and Instagram.

Maryam Khan, Foodie Explorez and Easy Eat

Maryam Khan is a foodie KOL who advocates for dietary inclusivity and Halal food. She founded Foodie Explorerz and Easy Eat, using content creation to raise awareness and support restaurants that accommodate Halal, vegetarian, vegan, and Jain food options.

Maryam shares her content in Foodie Explorez's website and Instagram Account, which has over 24k followers. Easy Eat, an extention of Foodie Explorerz, is a user-friendly platform that simplifies the search for suitable dining options through curated listings and filtering options based on dietary needs, cuisine, and location. 

To learn more, visit Foodie Explorez and Easy Eat. 

Mehroo Turel, Mums@PLAY

Mehroo Turel founded Mums@PLAY in 2017 as an events platform for mompreneurs to showcase their brands, which has since grown into a vibrant community of women entrepreneurs. The platform is dedicated to supporting small business owners, particularly mothers, by providing a space where they can promote their products and services, connect with like-minded women, and grow their businesses—all while maintaining a work-life balance.

In addition to her work at Mums@PLAY, Mehroo is also a Professional Certified Coach (ICF-PCC), Certified Positive Intelligence Coach (CPQC), and Coach for Adolescents, specializing in personal branding and leadership development. As a board member of the Hong Kong Chapter of the International Coach Federation (ICF Hong Kong), she is committed to empowering women leaders and continues to create opportunities through Mums@PLAY.

To learn more about Mums@PLAY, visit their website and Instagram.

Jenny Au, FundFluent

Jenny Au, Founder and CEO of FundFluent, is an entrepreneur passionate about financial inclusion and breaking down barriers to funding for small businesses. Recognizing the struggles that SMEs and startup founders face in securing capital, she took a bootstrapped, self-funded approach to launch FundFluent in 2022, a platform that simplifies access to funding through technology and expert support.

Since then, FundFluent has helped over 1,400 businesses secure more than US$46 million in funding by providing an extensive funding database, step-by-step playbooks, and hands-on support from funding specialists.

To learn more about FundFluent, visit their website and Instagram.  

To discover other founders and entrepreneurs supported by the Foundation of Shared Impact (FSI), check out their GuideFong directory here. 

There is a quote from famed American world traveler, Burton Holmes — the same man who invented the “Travelogue” — that says: “To travel is to possess the world.” Life is too short to stay in one place. We believe that people are natural explorers and that it’s important to step out of our comfort zones, experience the unknown, and foster curiosity as these are triggers of change and movement.

Girls Be Change was founded upon this very thought. In a world where adventure and empowerment intertwine, the social business has become a beacon for women who wish to make a change, enabling them to become explorers and changemakers. It was founded four years ago by Carmen Chan, a Hong-Kong-based entrepreneur, who was driven to answer one particular question: "How can we create lasting change?" For the past two years, Carmen has solo-traveled the world, learning from both individuals and organizations who are making a unique impact and are passionate about making purposeful change. This journey has led her to founding the business with a clear vision: to enable and empower women and girls to be explorers and agents of transformation. 

This year, Girls Be Change is launching an inaugural initiative that aims to combine travel with purposeful engagement. We spoke with Carmen, as well as some of her amazing partners to know more about the Impact Expeditions for Women Explorers, the activities they have in store for its participants, and how it intends to promote responsible travel and making meaningful connections. 

‘Travel with Purpose. Connect with Intention.’

Just like how the founder discovered a global tribe of women changemakers through travel, Girls Be Change’s Impact Expeditions for Women Explorers intends to do the same.

Designed for, by, and with women explorers, this expedition will take women participants to breathtaking locales, including wildlife conservation efforts in South Africa and cultural and natural wonders through the Peruvian Andes and Amazon Rainforest, all while fostering women changemakers community and supporting local causes in gender equity and conservation. 

“I believe girls and women — no matter how old or in what life stage they are — are the agents of change, and we all have the power to be the change we want to see in the world. Traveling offers a unique opportunity to explore both the outer world and one's inner self. It allows us to regroup, reset, and reinvent who we want to be,” Carmen told The Beat Asia as she gave us more insight into the upcoming program. 

The first Impact Expedition will take women explorers to the nature reserve in South Africa from Jun. 7 to 13 where they can gain a rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse into a world usually hidden from the public eye. Co-hosted by Wilde Tracks — an organization dedicated to preserving global ecosystems through eco-tourism — this expedition aims to address the urgent need for wildlife conservation and intervention in the region; allowing participants to work directly with seasoned conservation experts and wildlife veterinarians who are helping to fund critical conservation efforts, including helicopter operations, wildlife collars and tags, veterinary fees, and essential medicines. 

“Women travelers gain a multifaceted experience that goes beyond traditional tourism — to learn about the challenges women in the field face,” Chloe Evans, Founder of Wilde Tracks, stated. “All our initiatives are driven from the ground up, shaped by the priorities and challenges identified by experts and local communities in the countries where we work. Beyond conservation and community engagement, we also offer activities and workshops that address the challenges travelers — especially women — may face on the road, ensuring they feel safe, supported, and confident while exploring. We don’t just create unforgettable experiences — we build a movement of conscious travelers working alongside local communities with our core in wildlife conservation to make a lasting impact.”

The participants will have the opportunity to work hands-on in conservation and participate in veterinary interventions such as rhino dehorning. Furthermore, the expedition will include engaging with community initiatives for women and children and creative sessions such as jewelry-making using recycled snares from the poaching trade. This partnership seemed like a natural fit, considering Wilde Tracks is also an all-female team, and is all about “creating space for women to lead, explore, and drive meaningful change.” Girls Be Change shares this goal, both organizations built on the power of the community and bring women together to exchange ideas, share experiences, and make an impact.

“Throughout their journey, participants travel safely, connect with fellow female travelers, and enjoy breathtaking experiences — from witnessing the Big Five to being at one with nature — making for a truly empowering adventure,” Chloe added. 

Speaking of traveling safely, we asked Carmen about “responsible travel” and how they intend to encourage women participants to take part, considering traveling alone poses some risks, especially for women explorers. 

“Everything in life involves risk. Sometimes we all just need a little nudge — a shared bravery from a community that helps us to take a leap of faith,” she said. “There is a power in exploring the unknown where you also discover the unknown version of yourself and become the change you want to be. That’s the linkage from being an explorer to a changemaker, and that’s the reason we launched Impact Expedition for Women Explorers. Going to the Amazon alone might be quite intimidating but we are going together.”

Girls Be Change also partnered with Denmark-based company Goodwings — a flight-booking platform that shows carbon emission information, enabling travelers to make conscious and informed choices. The flights booked through Goodwings for this initiative in 2025 will also be carbon offset.

“The Goodwings platform is built around more responsible travel, which is exactly what Girls Be Change (and our partnership) seeks to promote,” said Christian Møller-Holst, CEO of Goodwings. “Girls Be Change has a strong focus on social change but also on traveling with intention and making sure that when we do travel, we do so in the least harmful way possible. While our platform, like any other travel management system, provides you with the option to book transport like flights, cars, trains, and even accommodation, we’ve built climate considerations into every part of it.”

Goodwings’ booking system is subject to travel policy climate considerations such as maximum CO2 per passenger kilometer traveled, urging users to make more responsible travel choices. The platform equips you with the tools to make your travel less harmful while also giving them the necessary data needed to control, report on, and reduce their emissions from travel. 

“We have also invested in 100 liters of SAF (sustainable aviation fuel) on behalf of Girls Be Change to further the idea of intentional travel — making decarbonization a part of the equation,” Christian added. 

The Impact Expeditions does more than just give participating women the necessary tools and experiences to make a change but also intends to give back. Girls Be Change is partnering with Daughters Rising and reinvesting net profits from the expeditions to support the Girls’ Scholarship Program, allowing ethnic minority women from Myanmar and those in refugee camps to pursue higher education. 

A Movement Towards Making a Lasting Impact

The women who decide to engage in this exciting expedition will not only be able to witness beautiful and unique destinations but gain experience — insights that one can’t otherwise get from anywhere else. 

Girls Be Change is reshaping travel to become more intentional and purposeful, giving women a chance to experience the world through meaningful community-based activities that broaden their perceptions, increase their empathy, and help them get to know themselves better. The Impact Expeditions are more than just a trip, it’s a chance to connect with fellow changemakers and carve your own footprints toward making a change that matters. 

“One of the highlights of the Impact Expedition is that it begins even before the trip starts and continues after the trip ends! Before traveling to the nature reserve in South Africa or the Andean Mountains or the Amazon rainforest, they can join the Virtual Campfire with Changemakers sessions throughout the year to connect with the other women changemakers and explorers to exchange stories,” explained Carmen. 

“Through the stories of other women, we can envision so many possibilities beyond our current limit of selves. They can also join the global Women Changemakers Community as a supportive network to lift each other up.”

The trip to South Africa is only the beginning. Girls Be Change has already planned their next expedition in partnership with Sacred Valley Project (SVP) later this year. The trip will take place in Peru from Aug. 17 to 26, 2025, and will include a multi-day trek to the world-famous UNESCO World Heritage Site Machu Picchu via Salkantay trail. Participants will also get the chance to explore the ancient capital of Cusco and engage in service work in the SVP such as workshops and community outreach. 

“Sacred Valley Project believes in the power of education in women and the importance of gender equity,” said Alex Ball, founder of Sacred Valley Project. “While we are empowering the girls in remote areas of the Andes for their secondary education by providing boarding and supplementary education, we also share a common goal of gender equality with Girls Be Change that all girls and women are agents of change in their lives and their world.”

2025 is truly a year of global change-making for the organization with its exciting line-up of expeditions that will provide women the chance to learn about communities in various parts of the world, and hopefully encourage more to become part of the changemaker club. 

Girls Be Change is also expanding its Women Changemakers Community gatherings, which aim to bridge knowledge and expertise between the Global North and South. They will take place in various countries including Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Africa, Denmark, Peru, and Thailand. The gathering in Jakarta took place on Mar. 8 with Ashoka Indonesia and TORAJAMELO. The organization is also launching a monthly series called Virtual Campfire with Changemakers, which will talk about various topics surrounding women. 

If you’re interested in taking part in this massive opportunity to see and discover the world, you can sign up for the South Africa expedition here. 

For more information on the event lineups, you can visit Girls Be Change’s website or follow them on Instagram for updates.