Hong Kong – International health and beauty retailer AS Watson has announced that it is the first to sign the Women’s Empowerment Principles. These principles are part of a global campaign spearheaded by UN Women (United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment), which aims to promote gender equity and female empowerment.
With this action, AS Watson reaffirms its dedication to fostering an inclusive workplace, marketplace, and community that offers opportunities for women in support of this cause.
Through its collaboration with Operation Smile in the Women in Medicine initiative, AS Watson displays its dedication to women’s empowerment. Through educational opportunities and specialised training, this project enables women working in the medical and healthcare sectors, paving the way for them to become world leaders in the fields of surgery, medicine, and healthcare.
In keeping with International Women’s Day’s “Inspire Inclusion” theme, AS Watson and its 12 retail brands, which operate in 28 markets, will launch a series of customer- and employee-focused initiatives aimed at empowering women.
To further support women in embracing their true selves, Watsons will launch the “Our Time is Now” campaign on International Women’s Day. Watsons will actively participate in a number of community-based events this month.
Watsons is extending their support for self-financed women’s empowerment services to young mothers, married women, and older women by sponsoring the YWCA’s “ChariTea” program in Hong Kong.
Watsons Thailand will, in the meanwhile, be in charge of the “Green Ribbon” campaign, which will encourage women to reach their full potential and donate all earnings to the Association for the Promotion of the Status of Women, which supports women and children who are suffering from mental and physical health problems.
Superdrug intends to promote female-founded health and beauty products in its European stores and organise a number of initiatives, including podcasts and a picture contest, to empower its female staff members. In order to promote confidence and beauty in women’s life, Drogas will host the Ladies’ School event and provide skincare and makeup guidance. Aiming to motivate its female employees to realise their full potential, The Perfume Shop has assembled a collection of motivational movies.
Speaking about the campaign, Malina Ngai, CEO of AS Watson Asia and Europe, said, “At AS Watson, we are dedicated to empowering women to be more beautiful and confident. With over 80% of our 160 million members and over 70% of our 130,000 colleagues being women, our top priority is to inspire and support every woman to become the best version of themselves.”
She added, “We are also proud to create an inclusive work culture where women are valued and offered equal opportunities for career growth. AS Watson aspires to leverage our scale for good and inspire every woman to radiate beauty from the inside out. We believe in The New Beautiful – a new kind of beauty that exists within everyone.”
Furthermore, Ngai emphasised, “We believe that empowering women is not only our responsibility, but also our passion for creating a world with equality and inclusion, where every one’s uniqueness is recognised and valued. We cannot achieve it alone, so we will continue to advocate women empowerment and encourage more customers, colleagues and business partners to join us in contributing to a better world.”
