Fiona Nott, CEO of The Women’s Foundation
Fiona is CEO of The Women’s Foundation, an NGO dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls in Hong Kong.
What The Fog* 2023, Hong Kong’s First Menopause Festival
What The Fog* 2024, APAC’s First Menopause EVENT
2023 Keynote
2024 Keynote
A former lawyer and Hang Seng Index company secretary, Fiona has lived in Hong Kong for over two decades having cultivated a career as a senior legal professional and adviser to a number of leading corporations in Hong Kong and around Asia.
She is the Co-Founder of Room to Read's Hong Kong Chapter and helped establish the Regional Programme office in New Delhi, India. She is Deputy Chair and a Director of the Australian Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong.
Fiona has been the recipient of numerous awards for her efforts to close the gender gap, most recently, Tatler’s Front & Female Hong Kong Awards 2022.
On Menopause at Work
Menopause is a critical taboo to address at work –it links into age discrimination and common unhealthy stereotypes and assumptions against women. Women often don’t speak about it for fear of being stereotyped, ridiculed or harassed. They may also worry that managers will assume they are not performing as well as expected or deny them upcoming opportunities.
Menopause ties into a large demographic from women in their 30s through to 60s. Lack of understanding and support can cause women to drop out of work, take steps back, stagnate and plateau rather than progressing and succeeding. The menopause experience is also very different for every person. Women already face more scrutiny than their male counterparts about their performance and ability at work, so if they face biases because they are a minority or have a different gender identity and if they are also dealing with effects of menopause that may hold them back physically and mentally, then it can be a double or triple whammy for some.
Greater understanding is needed to recognise that while menopause is a necessary stage that every woman, it does not need to be the end of someone’s career and that with care and support, women can continue to thrive in the workforce and more broadly in the community.
Listen to Fiona’s podcast with The Menopause Space
Fiona Nott, CEO of The Women's Foundation joins host and Founder of The Menopause Space, Lisa Tarquini to discuss the strides that have been made in women's health in Hong Kong, and the work that still needs to be done.
