ADVANCING WOMEN LEADERS
Mentoring Programme for Women Leaders: Empowerment and Inclusion
This leadership programme focuses on the personal and professional development of women leaders to create advocates for change. The ultimate goal of the Mentoring Programme is to increase the number of women in policy and decision-making roles across sectors.
We aim to increase the number of women in leadership roles with the following objectives:
Advancing DE&I Skills and Knowledge
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) knowledge and skills are critical to developing inclusive leaders who can contribute towards advancing gender equality across Hong Kong.
Fostering holistic growth & leadership development
Comprehensive personal and professional development skills foster holistic growth and leadership development.
Building an ecosystem of gender equality advocates
This expanding community of gender advocates can cascade change at both an institutional and personal level.
Programme Highlights
Each year, we look for 60 high-potential aspiring female leaders (protégés) and 60 senior executive women (mentors) to join this cross-sector, inclusively led year-long programme. Participants are not only joining a cohort of 120 programme participants, but they are also joining a thriving and growing community of 1500 alumni.
The Mentoring Programme consists of four different components which all work together to provide holistic growth and development: One-to-One cross-industry Mentoring, supplemented by The Inclusive Leadership curriculum, Group Mentoring, and Peer Mentoring, all aiming towards holistic growth and development.
Each mentoring pair is responsible for managing their own meetings with the onus on protégés to drive the engagement. Mentoring pairs decide the frequency and format of their meetings with many typically meet once a month throughout the Programme year.
TWF provides participants with the opportunity to participate in tailored workshops held monthly in January to June 2025. Participants will be better equipped to contribute to a more inclusive workplace in their organisations and become gender advocates in the broader Hong Kong community.
Protégés and mentors share their challenges and expertise in 12 groups of 5 pairs each. Group Mentoring aims to provide a safe space to learn from each other and voice opinions openly. It also aims to help participants expand their network and learn from women in different roles and industries and to dive deeper into some of the Inclusive Leadership Curriculum topics, including “Finding Your Allies,” “Your Leadership Roadmap” and “Vulnerabilities” etc.
Peer Mentoring consists of one-hour, open topic, problem solving sessions. This is an opportunity for mentors and protégés in their respective groups to share issues or questions about their mentoring relationship and how to get the most out of it. Challenges and solutions can be discussed. It is also an opportunity for the cohort to establish/deepen connectivity with their peers. There are usually two mentoring sessions for mentors and protégés respectively per programme cycle.
Impact
Mentors who participated in the Programme felt they have...
- Strengthened inclusive leadership skills
- Enhanced mentoring skills
- Improved networking abilities
Protégés who participated in the Programme were able to...
- Increase confidence levels
- Develop a supportive network
- Enhance strategic leadership and influencing abilities
Testimonial
Inspiring Stories of Transformation
I joined the TWF mentoring programme as a Protégé back in 2022 and have since become a member of the Advisory Council. Throughout my time with TWF, I have been amazed at the profound impact it has had on me. TWF provides a well-structured programme with helpful resources and tools that empower women to grow, gain confidence and build a supportive network of other professional women from across Hong Kong. I highly recommend the Mentoring Programme to anyone who is looking to take the next step.
Partnership
Corporate Partners
We are grateful to all our corporate partners for their generous support of the Programme over the years. Please get in touch at pipeline@twfhk.org if you would like to find out more about how to become a Corporate Partner for 2025-2026.
How to Apply
Details and key dates for the Mentoring Programme for Women Leaders 25/26
Mentoring Programme for Women Leaders 2025-2026 Timeline
MAY - JUNE 2025
May 8 – Application Opens
May 20 – Experience Sharing Session
June 30 – Application Closes
JULY - AUGUST 2025
TWF team and Mentoring Programme Advisory Council review all applications
SEPTEMBER 2025
Early September - Interviews with shortlisted candidates
Late September – Notify applicants of results
OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2025
October - Submit pairing preferences
November - Announce mentor and protege pairings and group mentoring group allocations
JANUARY - JUNE 2026
Inclusive Leadership Curriculum
Application Process
Thank you for your interest in the Mentoring Programme for Women Leaders.
As the application period for the 2025–26 cycle has now closed, we are no longer accepting submissions.
Applications for the 2026–27 cycle will open in Spring 2026.
Stay connected with us on social media or subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest updates and be notified when applications reopen.
If you have any questions about the application or the Programme, please contact our team at mentoring@twfhk.org.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
We select candidates who identify as women from a diverse range of gender identities, socioeconomic backgrounds, disability status, race and ethnicities, religions, industries and professional sectors and experiences, or other characteristics but whom all share common professional goals, a fierce commitment to the success of the Programme and developing a pipeline of women leaders.
In selecting participants, the TWF team and the Mentoring Programme Advisory Council members consider the following competencies and criteria:
Mentor
Essential
- Have a minimum of 15 years full-time work experience, with at least 5 years' experience in a managerial position
- Be an excellent listener
- Be motivated by a strong desire to see the next generation of women leaders achieve their full potential
- Be able to allocate time to their Protégé on a regular basis
- Have a clear understanding of the roles of both Mentors and Proteges
- Be open to two-way learning and feedback
- Be committed to staying in Hong Kong for the duration of the programme
Desired
- Have previous mentoring experience
- Be able to identify specific skillsets or areas that they can offer to help a Protégé
Protégé
Essential
- Have a minimum of 5 years to 14 years full time work experience
- Be open and eager to share and learn from others
- Be highly motivated to improve themselves and to achieve professional success and pay it forward
- Be committed to driving their mentoring relationship and attending the inclusive leadership development curriculum events
- Be able to articulate their desired outcomes
- Be open to two-way learning and feedback
- Be committed to staying in Hong Kong for the duration of the programme
Desired
- Managerial experience
- Ability to identify achievable goals and action plan within the 9-month journey of the Programme
- Ability to identify areas that one looks for in a mentor
- Previous work experience in Hong Kong
Participants are expected to commit to a minimum of 4-5 hours per month, including attendance of at least 75% of the sessions. Candidates MUST be based in Hong Kong for the duration of the programme and should not apply if they anticipate having to be away for work or personal reasons for substantial periods of time during the year.
Your personal circumstance is also a crucial element we ask our applicants to take into consideration when deciding whether this is the right time for you to participate in the Mentoring Programme. As an organisation that cares deeply about its participants’ whole-person well-being, we encourage applicants to consider whether and how their participation in the programme may impact their current circumstances including mental well-being, social support, financial status, personal interests/hobbies or other prior commitments. If negative changes are foreseen, we suggest that applicants rethink and consider applying for the Programme in the future when their personal circumstances permit.
To facilitate the pairing process, the Programme kicks off with a series of icebreaker sessions that provide multiple opportunities for participants to identify their preferred mentor or protégé candidates.
No, candidates cannot join midway through the cycle due to the highly structured nature of the Programme. Interested individuals will have to wait to apply for the next cycle.
The programme is delivered in English. We do not expect all participants to be native English speakers and our content is designed with this in mind.
For any other queries, please contact mentoring@twfhk.org.
Stay connected with TWF's Mentoring Alumni Directory!
Our Alumni Directory allows participants to stay connected and engaged with the ever-expanding network of inspiring, accomplished, and mutually supportive women who have graduated from the Mentoring Programme. If you have graduated from the TWF Mentoring Programme for Women Leaders and would like access to our Directory, please email us at mentoring@twfhk.org.
Benefits
Benefits of being a member of the Mentoring Programme Alumni Directory include:
- Continued professional and personal development opportunities
- Access to a powerful network of over 1400 women who are committed to helping other women and being champions for change
- Access to resources and shared learning
- Invitations to exclusive alumni engagements
- Opportunities to promote your skills/expertise/business
Initiatives
- Lean-in circles
- Alumni Knowledge sessions and workshops
- Social networking engagements
MENTORING PROGRAMME ADVISORY COUNCIL
We greatly appreciate the advice and support of our Advisory Council members who help to shape our Programme and alumni activities, including:
Betty Wong
Chamika Kadurwana
Senior Product Manager
HSBC
Crystal Lam
Convocation Committee Member
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Elizabeth Alam
Vice President, Human Resources
Bank of America
Estelle Randle
Iris Lo
Assistant Professor
Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Jackie Dunn
Director Marketing & Guest Experience
Aqua Restaurant Group
Jacqueline Ng
Managing Director, APAC
Head of Legal
BNY
Jay Lee
Head of the Global Communications & Marketing Hub
Department for Business & Trade, British Consulate-General
Jessica Yam
Nicole Alpert
Research Editor
Bloomberg
Shirla Sum
Secondary School Principal
Victoria Shanghai Academy
Tiffany Pang
Marketing Manager, Hong Kong & Taiwan
Monotype
Trilby White
Leadership Consultant
Inicio Consulting Ltd
Serina Suzuki
Associate Banker
J.P. Morgan
