“Research consistently shows that organisations with diverse leadership, including women at the helm, are more agile, more empathetic, more creative and better equipped to achieve long-term success,” Chan said at the first Women Chief Executives Summit on Monday.

He noted that there was an increasing trend of women preparing to take leadership roles. “Now, more than half of our solicitors and professional accountants are women – a leap from just 30 per cent two decades ago,” Chan said. “On our campuses, nearly 60 per cent of students majoring in business and management are women.”

He added that “these are not mere statistics – they are the future market-makers, fintech innovators and next-generation CEOs”.

The half-day summit was attended by more than 200 C-suite women leaders, including many who flew in from overseas, marking the largest conference ever held with the theme of women’s leadership.

The summit took place at the Connect Hall of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), whose CEO, Bonnie Chan Yiting, is the first woman to hold the post. Other key speakers included Standard Chartered Hong Kong CEO Mary Huen Wai-yi and UBS co-head of wealth management Asia-Pacific Amy Lo Choi-wan.