Gillian Choa became the first woman, and the first Hongkonger, to head the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts (HKAPA) when she became the organisation’s director in 2021.

Choa, who has been with the HKAPA since 1996, was a natural choice for the role. “I dedicated most of my life to the academy and have worked with men and have always been quite comfortable being part of this community,” she told Tatler at the end of 2021. “To be the first female director didn’t mean much to me initially, but I hope it means I can inspire other female leaders.”

The academy’s stellar reputation aside—the HKAPA currently ranks first in Asia and 13th in the world among performing arts schools on the QS World University Rankings—Choa has said that, while proud of the school’s position, she would not be obsessed with rankings. “The focus is to continue to do well and give the best education to our young performing artists, and to nurture them into confident practitioners, contributors, innovators and leaders in the industry. We are not going to rank first forever, but we can always be proud of the fact that we have the best educational philosophy and training.”

Gillian Choa is an Asia's Most Influential honouree, and was named to the list in 2022 and 2021. Read her full profile here.

For over 16 years now, Philip Sohmen has served as the executive deputy chairman of YK Pao School in Shanghai, a pioneering not-for-profit school that Sohmen co-founded in 2007 with his mother, Anna Pao Sohmen.

Named after Sohmen’s grandfather, the renowned businessman and philanthropist YK Pao, the school offers a bilingual educational programme that pioneers an international approach to the Chinese curriculum. The educational model of YK Pao School is rooted in Chinese culture while taking an international approach and perspective, and is open to both Chinese and international students. There are now over 1,500 primary and secondary students on three campuses, including a high school with boarding facilities. The school also offers a wide range of summer and extension programs, including sports, chess and debate—a departure from the traditionally favoured academic tutoring.

Sohmen is carrying on a family tradition of educational philanthropy, begun by his grandfather, who founded Ningbo University, the first comprehensive university in his hometown of Ningbo. The late Pao also endowed scholarship programs and buildings at the Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, Zheijiang University in Hangzhou, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Purdue University in the US.

Philip Sohmen is an Asia's Most Influential honouree from Hong Kong, named to the list in 2021. Read his full profile here.

Tatler Asia's Most Influential is the definitive list of people shaping our world today. Asia's Most Influential brings together the region's most innovative changemakers, industry titans and thought leaders who are driving positive impact in Asia and beyond. View the full list here.

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