District15 Platform's third panel discussion named Sustainability Trends in 2019 was held at The Nate on 9 May 2019. Our moderator: Founder of PROJECT C:CHANGE Sean Lee-Davies, and all panellists including Founder of Green Queen Sonalie Figueiras, CEO of Urban Spring Ada Yip, Co-Founder of Eco Drive Hong Kong Claire Yates and Chief Sustainability Officer of Melco Resorts Denise Chen.
Sean Lee-Davies, Founder Project C:Change
Sean Lee-Davies is a multimedia artist, digital transformation specialist and Entrepreneur. As the founder of Awethentic Studio, he is pioneering the use of technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Avatar technology to enhance storytelling for the world’s leading brands and also using visualization technology to help make retail more accurate and sustainable.
Aside from his work in technology, Sean Lee-Davies spends much of his time dedicated to animal and environmental conservation. This is showcased through “Love is Wild”, the first travelling AR and VR fine art photography exhibition to raise awareness about endangered wildlife and conservation and Positive Dining, HK’s first F&B certification based on sustainably sourced goods and waste reduction by using blockchain technology for increased transparency.
Sonalie Figueiras, Founder & CEO, Green Queen & Ekowarehouse
Serial social entrepreneur Sonalie Figueiras is the founder & editor-in-chief of Green Queen, an award-winning impact media platform advocating for social & environmental change in Hong Kong with a mission to shift consumer behaviour through inspiring & empowering original content. She is also the founder & CEO of Ekowarehouse, the global sourcing platform for certified organic products, with a mission to make safe, quality food accessible & affordable for the whole planet. With over a decade of experience in publishing, digital marketing, organic trade and health & sustainability, she is an eco-wellness industry veteran with a keen eye for market trends and a regular on the speaking circuit, sharing her expertise on stages across Asia and beyond. Sonalie also recently launched a podcast series about the Zero Waste Movement in Hong Kong to raise awareness about plastic pollution and the circular economy.
Ada Yip, CEO of Urban Spring
Ada Yip is the Chief Empowerment Office at Urban Spring, a purpose-driven start-up with a mission to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic in Hong Kong by building a network of smart and well-designed water refill network. Ada is also a director at WYNG43 Social Investment, which invests financial and human capital in innovative mission-driven start-ups. Previously, she was the Program Director of the i2i (incubation to investment) programme at SOW Asia, a Hong Kong-based impact investor and accelerator. Before joining the impact investing industry, Ada worked at a number of financial institutions in Toronto, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
Ada is on the board of the Hong Kong Institute of Social Impact Analysts, Teach4HK and Education For Good. She is a member of the Advisory Committee at the Enhancing Self-Reliance Through District Partnership Programme under the Home Affairs Department of the Hong Kong Government.
Denise Chen, Chief Sustainability Officer of Melco Resorts
Denise Chen is both the Senior Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer of Melco Resorts & Entertainment and the Group Treasurer. She is responsible for leading the sustainability strategy of the Group. Prior to joining the company in 2007, she worked in equity capital markets at CLSA. Ms Chen qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in London and graduated from the London School of Economics.
Claire Yates, Co-Founder of EcoDrive Hong Kong
Claire grew up between two cultures, having a Hong Kong Chinese mother and an English father, and she draws on these influences every day in the running of her premium stationery and gift company, The Lion Rock Press. Supporting local causes wherever she can, her idea of the now cult “No Plastic Mm Goi” range of eco products was born of a passion to wage war with the problem of single-use plastics in the city, and to try and make going green cool and aspirational. A co-founder of the non-profit, EcoDrive, Claire works tirelessly to promote the awareness and reduction of single-use plastics in Hong Kong, specialising in Corporate Outreach, having started industry roundtables with many of the city’s most influential business leaders.
It was an interactive session where residents and friends of The Nate can gain the opportunity to learn more about what can be done from a sustainability perspective in Hong Kong.
Last but not least, shout-out to our official beer sponsor Black Kite Brewery!