Top Hong Kong women CEOs talk about the beloved school that fuelled their success
Bonnie Chan Yiting interviewed for the top job at Hong Kong Stock Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), she recited a lyric from her school song 'to home, to country, to the world' to showcase the 'service mindset' that her alma mater instilled in her.
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In fact, Chan used it in two successful interviews – one for the CEO position and the other for the head of listing position when she returned to the city's bourse in January 2020, after about a decade specialising in capital markets law at Davis Polk & Wardwell.
'It is very seldom that one would refer to the school hymn during an interview, but I did,' Chan said earlier this month at a symposium to mark the centenary celebration of Maryknoll Convent School. 'I told them the school taught me a service mindset [and] that where there is an opportunity, we should pay back. And I think at that time, I reached a point in my career that I really wanted to pay back.'
The line in the school song – 'to home, to country, to the world; we call this our first duty' – was in her thoughts when she decided in 2019 to quit private law practice amid months of social unrest to resume her career at the stock exchange.
Maryknoll Convent School (Primary Section) on Waterloo Road, a stone's throw from Kadoorie Hill in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Photo: Franke Tsang
Maryknoll Convent, an all-girls Catholic school, was founded in 1925 by the Maryknoll Sisters of St Dominic. It aims to instil trust and integrity in its students and an appreciation for cooperative teamwork and respect for others. They are taught to have moral, ethical and religious values, to be compassionate and capable of serving the society.
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Cordelia Chung, chairwoman of the school foundation, said the symposium not only celebrated the school's legacy but also set the stage for continued dialogue and action on redefining beauty, empowering women, and building a more sustainable and inclusive future.
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