About The Panelist

Leaving Your Mark: Crafting a Legacy through Writing
There’s a book inside you. It has been there for a while, coming to the surface whenever you feel the calling to pen your thoughts and ideas. Yet, you hold back because of self-doubt and other priorities.

Find out how you can become an author, and become confident and motivated on your writing journey.

About The Panelist

Leveraging over two decades of expertise in cross-cultural environments, Christina Themar’s passion and ambition for learning and development paved the way for her to found Next Chapters, a social purpose business that seeks to reduce social inequality through coaching and facilitation.

She is an activator of meaningful career advancement and a catalyst for career confidence, empowering professional women to make decisions and take actionable steps to follow through on their greatest ambitions.

Specialising in career development, Christina brings to light the value of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging of women, enabling them to activate their empowerment and write the next professional chapter in their life.

Throughout this experience, Christina supports her clients to gain a renewed perspective, motivates them to unlock their highest potential, and encourages them to take a fresh approach towards their work.

About The Moderator

Dr. Neera Gupta is an Entrepreneur, Event Organiser, Bestseller Author, TV host, Emcee, Champion Networker, Marketing Guru, Women Empowerment Ambassador, Charity worker……..the list goes on. Fun fact: She is also a dentist!

As the Founder & Chief Visionary Officer of Global Influencers, Neera is living her goal of empowering and giving a voice to 1000s of women across the world through the #MyVoice initiative that she started in the midst of pandemic in June 2020. Providing a platform for women to come together to talk about and share their issues and challenges with an aim to become better versions of themselves by listening, learning, helping, and supporting one another through this journey.

Most recently she celebrated the creation of more than 100 Bestseller Women authors in less than one year through the internationally acclaimed #MyVoice book series featuring empowering & inspirational stories of amazing & courageous women, journeying from the ordinary to the extraordinary.

About The Moderator

Shikha Sarkar, Managing Partner & Director at Kit Kat Events & Marketing and Co-Founder of Global Influencers Publishing House, has more than 20 years of experience in international sales and marketing across various industries. Adding to the mixture her strong entrepreneurial skills, she knows what it takes to make things work.

Apart from building an amazing community with the MyVoice initiative which has grown to 1000s of women across the world,, she has been the Ambassador of InterNations for the last five yrs, one of the largest global expat networks, supporting a dynamic community of over 60,000 expats from 200 different countries living in Singapore.

Shikha has always been passionate about empowering and uplifting women as she has been teaching women empowerment and financial literacy to Single mothers in the community. She is also a wildlife enthusiast and an amateur photographer.

About The Panelist

Julie Aswani was born with a rare physical condition called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (AMC) which affects 1 in 3000 live births around the world.

Despite having gone through bullying, harassment and discrimination, Julie has come a long way to becoming the leading spokesperson for AMC in Hong Kong.

Julie is a mental health counsellor in Hong Kong. She possesses degrees in Psychology, Education and Counselling. She has worked with all age groups, from children to adolescents and adults. Currently, she is working as a high school teacher and also provides counselling services to her students. She dedicates her time to raise awareness on different mental and physical health issues on social media.

About The Panelist

Michelle Harris is the Founder of Michelle Harris International and been guiding women and children to empower themselves for 25 years. A mum, natural counsellor, intuitive energy healing specialist, empowerment mentor and guide, Michelle offers emotional healing, mental health shifts, soul mentoring, energy tools and effective life solutions to those seeking peace, growth and transformation. She is also a channel and the founder of a crystal healing system she developed in 2000 and has pioneered various initiatives in Hong Kong, including The Empowerment School platform for kids/teens.

A sought-after healer who is well-known for her impactful, deep work to overcome lifelong issues and trauma, Michelle draws upon her inspiring personal journey and shares her discoveries and wisdom in authentic teachings. Her signature individual and group sessions (online and in-person) ignite clients to live their magnificence – personally, spiritually and professionally.

A two-times best-seller author and award-winning healer and women of wellness, Michelle has featured in various media and publications and shares her work worldwide.

About The Panelist

Sonal D. Nigam is a perfectionist, businesswoman, philanthropist, mother of two awesome daughters, and wife to a businessman with a passion for golf. She is determined to live life by her own rules and is a firm believer in the power of Karma.

Brought up by her humble educationist parents who were always there to help the community, Sonal strongly believes in family bonds, discipline, steadfast ethics, and moral beliefs. She believes that these traits come from a deep emphasis on education, sports, charity, dreaming big, and working hard to achieve those dreams.

About The Panelist

Lorna Sianen Pagaduan, a registered nurse by profession. Her mum belongs to the Kan-kanaey Tribe of Bontoc Mountain Province, in the Philippines, while her dad is an Ilocano descendant. She is the eldest of six siblings.

Lorna has struggled to accept that while she was once a hospital nurse, she now works as a Migrant Domestic Worker which society tags as the lowest type of work.

She uses her own experiences of winning battles, to empower women and inform migrant workers on their rights, benefits and entitlements.

Nearly deprived of education due to poverty, she’s always hungry for things to learn and lives by the principle of “Success is Sweet if you Sweat for it.”

Lorna is a Pathfinders Ambassador, President of Filipino Nurses Association Hong Kong since its establishment in 2006, founded her own charity “Lapis at Papel,” and volunteers at various organisations in Hong Kong

About The Panelist

Priya Subberwal is a qualified classical Feng Shui practitioner. A trained interior designer, her interest in Chinese metaphysics was sparked by a chance look through a coffee table book on the subject in 2000. After extensive reading on the subject, she formally started studying in 2007 and applying it to her daily life. Friends and family too gained from her knowledge and fascination.

In 2016 she formed the company “Disha” which comes from the Sanskrit word “Dishadhara” meaning direction – something that she strives to give her clients.

Priya is a yoga enthusiast and an avid reader. She lives in Hong Kong with her husband and a dog. She is a mother of two adult daughters, who love giving her unsolicited fashion and make-up advice. Interestingly, she previously co-owned a cricket team “Kowloon Cantons” in Hong Kong.

About The Panelist

Born in colorful Mexico, Yamilette Cano had a childhood full of creativity. For over 20 years she performed as a professional ballerina. After retiring, she moved to Hong Kong and jumped into the Asia events industry as an entrepreneur.

After planning thousands of events, she started her journey as a Professional Public Speaker. She fell in love with the feeling of being on stage again.

Having experienced the joys of confident and assertive communication, Yamilette wanted to serve and give others the ability to find their ideal frequency and communicate with confidence. This is how LOUDER® by Yamilette Cano (LOUDER Global) was born.

LOUDER® works with clients in-person or virtually around the globe. Yamilette’s elegant style combined with her passion and dedication gives her the drive to help empower and elevate brands to tell their story with boldness and impact!

About The Panelist

Tatiana Solomatina arrived in Northeast China at the age of 17, where she completed Bachelor and Master degrees in International Trade and Economics in Chinese. She then pursued her career path in Southern China and Hong Kong.

For the last decade, she has worked in the field of International Trade, mastering skills in product development, consumer goods manufacturing, sales, and marketing.

Today she is a Founder of Marketing & Business Consulting agency DoUnico.

Tatiana loves to create synergies in business, connect talented people, and promote others through marketing and branding services. She is passionate about helping women and firmly believes that each woman needs a mentor, and that is why she created a Women Experts Community.

Through DoUnico’s ideology, Tatiana fulfills her mission, which is to empower women to embrace their uniqueness, motivate them to do what they love without self-doubt and fear, and show them the roadmap to success.

About The Panelist

her work in treating trauma. She is also a hypnotherapist, mindfulness and meditation facilitator, and registered clinical supervisor with a global client base.

Nivedita has worked with global CEOs, prison inmates, executives, homemakers, teachers, celebrities, cancer, and critically ill patients and adolescents.

She has worked with premium medical clinics in Hong Kong, such as OT&P MindWorx, and is currently a consultant psychotherapist and Head of Corporate Psychology with The London Medical Clinic. She is the founder of Inner Compass Psychotherapy.

Nivedita combines Western and Eastern psychotherapeutic techniques to address the specific challenges any client faces. Her work has been featured in international newspapers and magazines.

She regularly conducts clinical supervision for other mental health providers and trainees. She actively conducts training seminars and workshops in multinational corporations and is a Global Honorary Member of the Della Leaders Club (DLC) Health and Wellness Committee.

About The Panelist

Tidimalo Shabalala is a 35-year-old lover of life, Born and raised in South Africa her upbringing was filled with so many life-altering experiences, that even as an adult she remembers her childhood with lots of gratitude, sacrifice and joy.

Tidimalo’s passion lies in connections and helping others bring their creative ideas alive. She is the Founder of Tidi Consulting, a brand enhancement boutique agency based in Hong Kong. Her purpose is to share all her diverse experiences, connect with people, and most importantly assist SMEs and influencers in creating cool brands using PR and Marketing.

She is the mother of two beautiful children who enjoys meeting passionate women and learning about their experiences of moving abroad. Tidimalo loves hiking, family trips, exploring the Hong Kong shopping scene, visiting some islands and breathtaking beaches.

About The Panelist

Kiran Sukhani has always had a desire to do something out of the box, something that continuously challenges her and creates a lasting impact. Friends and family would describe her as someone who’s bold, adventurous, and doesn’t fear taking a risk.

With that risk-oriented mindset and a desire to create impact, she launched two businesses, CalFit in 2018 and Tagline Restaurant & Bar in 2020. Over the years, she has attained many titles such as a model, a mother, a nutritionist, and an entrepreneur. They’ve all taught her a great deal about herself, her capabilities and has given her the confidence to continue believing in herself to strive for more. There are definitely many more feats she want to achieve in the years to come and she looks forward to those chapters of her life.

About The Panelist

Sherryn Hancock is an Australian Accountant, CPA (Aust), with almost 30 years experience specialising in budgeting and management accounting. Known for her ability to “look at the whole picture” she works with people to help them understand their relationship with money and how this has affected them in their past. Sherryn strives to give them the tools and confidence to be financially aware for life.

Sherryn is making a difference in championing women to have a voice and be confident when dealing with financial matters, which expands into all other facets of their life.

Sherryn has a husband who is a pilot and three young adult children. She has lived in Hong Kong for over 25 years. In her spare time, she is studying Psychology. She is a Past President of Hong Kong Netball, a Junior Rugby coach and has been a passionate netball player and umpire since the age of 10

About The Panelist

Catherine Gurtin has worked on child rights and protection across Asia for almost a decade and is passionate about connecting and bringing people together in pursuit of solutions and common goals.

Catherine joined PathFinders as Chief Executive Officer in February 2019, following seven years with Save the Children, where she worked as a consultant Project Manager for Save the Children International’s Asia Regional Office, and most recently as Chief Operations Officer for Save the Children Hong Kong.

Prior to joining the NGO sector, Catherine worked for over ten years in communications and public affairs, lately as an Associate Director in the International Public Affairs team at Pfizer.

Catherine earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Surrey, England. She has lived in Asia for over ten years and has a seven-year-old son and six-year-old daughter.

About The Panelist

Minal Mahtani is the CEO and Founder of OCD & Anxiety Support Hong Kong, a registered mental health charity dedicated to supporting, educating, coaching and a resource to adults and teenagers who are affected by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Depression and Anxiety Disorders.

She is trained in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Acceptance Commitment Therapy and holds degrees in both Psychology and Education. She is a Mental Health First Aid Instructor and a certified Stress Management Yoga teacher.

Minal is passionate about mental health advocacy. She is the pioneer of the Green Ribbon and Stamp Out Stigma campaigns in Hong Kong, and is an integral member of the mental health community.

She is in the process of opening a counselling clinic called the Rainbow of Hope (in honour of her late mother Mira) to make mental health counselling affordable, available and accessible to all.

About The Panelist

Sandra Roe is a Canadian-born author now living in Hong Kong. Her nickname is “The Princess”.

She has had cancer four times, major heart surgery, double pneumonia along with many other health issues.

Sandra had eight cycles of industrial-strength chemo over six months when she was diagnosed with CNS Lymphoma – brain cancer. After the chemo treatment, she wrote 15 children’s books. The first book she wrote is called “The Farting Princess”. Sandra has now written 22 children’s books about funny things that occurred during her chemo treatment for brain cancer, as well as when she had a mastectomy and reconstruction for breast cancer and major heart surgery.

Sandra wrote her books to make children and their parents laugh as laughter is the best medicine. She donates 50% of her net profits to cancer research, prevention and cure.

About The Panelist

Karishma Samtani’s journey towards personal growth and inspiring others commenced with the guidance of her grandmother and mother, who exemplified selflessness by tirelessly serving the community. These influential figures laid the foundation for Karishma to adopt various approaches in making a positive difference, showcasing her unwavering commitment to aiding others. Equipped with her expertise in Financial Services, dedication to mental health, and passion for cancer prevention, Karishma emerges as an influential figure. Her impact extends far beyond her professional sphere, leaving a lasting imprint on the lives of numerous individuals she has encountered.

Throughout her professional journey, Karishma has worked with over 3000 students on both a paid and voluntary basis. Collaborating with universities, non-profit organisations, and social enterprises, she has played a pivotal role in helping these individuals achieve their goals. Personally, Karishma’s experiences of prejudice and marginalisation as an ethnic minority have served as catalysts fuelling her unwavering determination to create progressive and meaningful change.

About The Panelist

Arnab’s journey as a poet span across two decades, during which he has dabbled in various poetry forms, although his writings are mostly in free verse.

He got his first major critical appreciation when one of his first poems “Remembering the Dead” (1998) appeared in the “Inkspot” column of The Pioneer Ltd. He published his first volume of poetry “Inspiration” (2007, Offset Printers, Lucknow, India). His second volume “Beyond the Silver Lining…” (ISBN 9789382393214, Sanbun Publishers, New Delhi, India, 2013) received positive reviews.

He has featured in more than a dozen anthologies of poetry. Eminent anthologies include “Taj Mahal Review” (Vol 11, No#2, Cyberwit.net Publishers, 2012), “Indus Valley” (Xpress Publications, 2012), “Muse India” (Issue 49, 2013), “Inklinks” (ISBN 9788182533714, Cyberwit.net Publishers, 2013).

Arnab co-authored with his wife, a duet-poem “Chapter Zero” which was published in the world’s first-ever duet poetry anthology “Synthesis” (ISBN 9789383770021, Xpress Publications, 2014) featuring a place in the Limca Book of Records. His literary memberships include the coveted “World Poets Society” and “Indian Society of Authors” (InSa, New Delhi).

Outside the world of poetry, Arnab works as Product Management leader for a US-based Fortune 500 manufacturing conglomerate. He currently resides in Hong Kong with his wife Olivia and daughter Luna.

About The Panelist

Rishi Suri is a corporate professional with 25 years of experience in the global textile and apparel industry. He has a background in startups and possesses an entrepreneurial mindset. Currently, he serves as the Business Development Director-South Asia for a leading multinational organization, based in Hong Kong since 2016. Additionally, Rishi’s wife is an educator with over two decades of experience, and they have a daughter who recently completed her Masters in Law from the UK.

A passionate traveler, Rishi has explored more than 35 countries in the past two decades. While he has previously self-published blogs, he recently decided to write a book. This decision came after facing personal tragedies and embarking on a spontaneous 2500 km solo road journey to the Himalayas. Through this journey, Rishi, who temporarily lost sight of life’s meaning, found solace and regained his belief in the world.

About The Panelist

Soumya Sirur, an 11-year-old residing in Hong Kong, has a passion for drawing, sketching, and writing, particularly poetry. Her artwork was first featured in a local Indian magazine when she was just four years old. Recently, the magazine also published two poems written by Soumya. Since then, she has achieved success in various art competitions in Hong Kong.

Notably, she has won first prize at a national-level art competition for drawing at the age of 6 and poetry writing at the age of 10, competing against students from all schools in Hong Kong.

Additionally, Soumya has received prizes twice at literary festivals held in Hong Kong. Recognising her leadership abilities, she was selected to serve on the Student Council of her school at the age of 8, where she actively contributed to school activities and represented student needs.

About The Panelist

Gourangi Kattela, a 10-year-old student in Hong Kong, is a creative and ambitious individual. With a passion for reading, writing, and artistic expression, Gourangi pursues various forms of creativity. Raised in Hong Kong, Gourangi values diligence and respect and enjoys spending time with friends who share an admiration for BLACKPINK.

Gourangi has achieved recognition for writing and painting, fuelling motivation and inspiration. When it comes to food, mint chocolate ice cream, honey waffles, and pizza are favourites. Gourangi’s ultimate goal is to become an artistic astronaut, driven by a desire to explore the unknown.

About The Panelist

Jayden Liu is a Taiwanese born in Hong Kong. He is a 6th grader at Hong Kong International School. During his free time, Jayden enjoys outdoor activities.

While snorkeling and trekking in the mountains, he often finds himself amazed by the breathtaking beauty of nature and develops a love and passion for wildlife. He wants to raise awareness among everyone to protect our planet and the struggling wildlife that is in danger due to pollution.

He also wants kids nowadays to spend less time on screens and make more connections to the world around us while we still can. Jayden believes that even a little help can make a significant impact, and everyone’s contribution matters.