Beedie undergrad Stephanie Wong first recipient of HSBC Women in Business Leadership Award

Stephanie Wong, an undergraduate student in the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University, has been selected as SFU’s first recipient of the HSBC Women in Business Leadership Award.

Wong was selected for the honour based on her outstanding academic achievement and record of student leadership. At Simon Fraser University, she has parlayed her passion for the progression of professional women into establishing SFU’s Young Women in Business (YWiB) chapter. Additionally, she founded programs such as the Supporting Our University Leaders (SOUL) Mentorship Program and GIVE (Generating Innovative Visions of Entrepreneurship) for Social Entrepreneurs.

Including SFU, the HSBC Women in Business Leadership Awards have been established at eight top universities across Canada. Each school will receive an $80,000 donation from HSBC Bank Canada to fund the Awards over a five year period. In winning the award at SFU, Wong will receive $10,000 per year for her final two years of her Bachelor of Business Administration degree.

The Award complements the Beedie School’s longstanding commitment to the advancement of women in business. The business school is home to the annual Nancy McKinstry Awards for Leadership in Diversity, and is the national education partner of the Women’s Executive Network, which annually publishes the “Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100″ list. Beedie is also a founding partner of the Canadian Board Diversity Council, which promotes increased gender diversity in Canada’s boardrooms.

In 2010, women made up 47.3% of the Canadian workforce, but held only 17.7% of senior officer positions at Financial Post 500 companies; and more than 30% of companies in the study had no women senior officers.

“HSBC believes that education is a fundamental building block for communities,” said Lindsay Gordon, President and Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Bank Canada.  “Our success is built on our ability to attract and develop a diverse range of talent, and we are delighted that the HSBC Women in Business Leadership Awards will recognize future business leaders, encouraging them to achieve their full potential and forge a path towards becoming some of Canada’s top executives.”

“It is an incredible honour to be the first SFU recipient of the HSBC Women in Business Leadership Awards,” said Stephanie Wong. “This generous award will enable me to further my education and dedicate my time to making a positive impact on the issues I am most passionate about, including building a more diverse workplace for myself and my peers.”

The Awards will be granted to four female SFU students over a five year period beginning in the 2011-2012 academic year. Selection is based on academic achievement and leadership potential, and each recipient will receive $10,000 per year for the final two years of their degree.