Celebrating International Women's Day with our first-ever luncheon for female Diamond members

On 5 March, during the week of International Women’s Day, we gathered over 40 of our esteemed female Diamond members at Popinjay’s, The Murray’s elegant rooftop restaurant, for an intimate celebration. Hosted by Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau and attended by several key members of Cathay’s senior management, the luncheon was the first time that we have hosted an event exclusively for our female Diamond members. We relished this opportunity to raise a glass to International Women’s Day together with our valued guests. This event also gave us an opportunity to show our appreciation to our valued members for their support and created an invaluable forum for our senior leadership to engage in meaningful dialogue with our guests, allowing us to continually refine our experience and deliver exceptional service.

In her opening remarks, Lavinia reminded our distinguished audience that as an organisation, Cathay is committed to furthering gender equity. We have set ambitious targets to have no more than 65 per cent of the same gender in senior positions by 2025, and 70 per cent at the board level by 2027 – a figure that goes beyond the targets set by the International Air Transport Association. We are also proud of the fact that our Executive Committee maintains equal gender representation.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, on 7 March, we are proudly operating two passenger flights staffed entirely by women – CX826 to Toronto and CX312 to Beijing. These two flights will be supported by predominantly female teams in Airports, Cargo, and Engineering. We are also operating a cargo flight on 8 March – CX3296 to Anchorage – with an all-female flight deck.

We also recognise that women face unique obstacles to thriving in their careers, and we have implemented a number of initiatives to address this imbalance. These include paid nursing breaks and nursing facilities in Cathay City and Cathay House, menstruation and menopause guidelines to educate staff on women’s health issues, and our Gender Equity Network, whose members advocate for the elimination of barriers and biases across our business, ensuring that all staff, regardless of their gender, are able to fulfill their potential.

Our guests also learned about many exciting developments from Cathay at this event. Among them we were delighted to share that our Aria Suite is currently available daily to and from London as well as other selected destinations to come. We were also honoured to inform our guests that the Aria Suite won Best New Business Class at TheDesignAir Awards 2024, an accolade that demonstrates our commitment to creating a world-leading inflight experience for our passengers.

It was my privilege to welcome our valued Diamond members to this intimate luncheon,” says Lau. “Not only did I have the opportunity to connect with inspiring women, many of whom are high-fliers in their respective industries, but we were also able to meaningfully engage and discuss our shared values. I look forward to seeing the many ways in which this generation of female Diamond members will inspire the next in the years to come.”