- Belinda Esterhammer, Asia CEO for social impact platform The DO, talks about growing up Asian in Austria, tackling sexism and her passion for empowering women
My father is Austrian and my mother is Cantonese, and their story began when they met on a plane – a love-at-first-flight kind of story.
Growing up in a small village outside Innsbruck in Austria with my brother, Oliver, we stood out as the only Asians. We faced some hurtful teasing and discrimination.
In fact, it made us more resilient.
To tell the truth, being different sometimes worked to my advantage. During an interview for my first internship in Barcelona, the HR lady remarked, “Your mum is Chinese, so you must be hardworking and good with numbers.”
Need to get out more
I first came to Hong Kong when I was eight months old, in 1988, and until I was about 14 my mum used to bring my brother and I back every summer to see our grandparents and her six siblings.
We used to fly here in August, the rainy season – it was a stark contrast to the gentle climate and lush greenery of Austria. I really didn’t like it here. Apart from the weather, our mother preferred shopping to nature, so we spent most of our time in flats, markets and shopping districts.
Casual sexism
Hong Kong is now my home. When I first made the move to live here full time, in 2015, I was struck by the city’s unique blend of efficiency, heritage and what I think of as “organised chaos”.
Before coming to Asia, I worked in Innsbruck for an IT company and later for a consultancy advising public institutions and frequently came up against sexism, which was pervasive in Austrian society.
I faced men who would not take me seriously because I was female and looked younger than my age. But I had a supportive boss who would emphasise that I would be leading the session and was not just eye candy.
At a different company, I asked my manager why I was the only woman on the team, but was told that if there was more than one woman “there would be a drama”. It made my blood boil.
While it was incredibly frustrating to have to deal with this kind of bias, I used it to motivate myself.
On my first day at a new job in Hong Kong a colleague remarked, ‘You’re pretty, why are you working? You don’t have to work.’Belinda Esterhammer on casual sexism
Insult to injury
Another time I was on a call with a senior manager planning a workshop and he said, “There aren’t enough vaginas, we need to bring in some more vaginas.” That sort of attitude is changing, but too slowly.
After I left the corporate world I reflected on my experiences – both cultural and corporate – and started NextGen, a pro bono mentoring network for high school and university girls that ran from 2017 to 2019.
As a Cantonese speaker with family in Hong Kong I experienced first-hand the pressure women have to face. It’s common to encounter remarks from family members such as “Lei ho fei a” (“you’re fat”) and “Sik do di la” (“eat more food”), to which I reply, “Get a six pack and maybe we can talk.”
Harsh reality
The living conditions we encountered in the slums were challenging, to say the least, but despite their very limited resources, the people we met were incredibly kind and welcoming.
As we filmed in the slums, I witnessed first-hand the impact of poverty on children, with some of them being fed special nutrition bars just to survive.
Wide birth
One event in particular left a lasting impact. The producer decided that we needed to start the documentary with footage of a baby being born. So early one morning we set off for a hospital on the outskirts of town, but then we had to wait until a baby was due.
The doctors said we should get something to eat and come back in an hour, but when we returned the lady had already gone into labour. We were rushed into our gowns and went into the delivery room – the conditions were extremely primitive. I was in shock, and having just had a big meal was trying not to throw up.
It made me admire everyone who is a mother, and especially those who give birth in challenging circumstances.
Show and tell
The experience of working in the Philippines taught me about the resilience of the human spirit. Despite facing poverty, homelessness and disease, the people we encountered always had a smile on their faces and welcomed us with open arms.
I was inspired by the strength and determination of the local community. While it’s impossible to change the world on your own, I realised that every little bit helps.
Through our documentary (titled Im Brennpunkt: Philippinen – Mit Aufklärung gegen die Bevölkerungsexplosion in German, which translates as “In focus: The Philippines – Educating Against the Population Explosion”), we were able to share the stories of the people we met and raise awareness about the challenges they face.
Talking back
I have always been a confident, curious person. I get that from my dad, who was a bit of a comedian. I was the kid in class who would always talk back to the teachers, asking questions even when I was told to be quiet.
I was never really bothered about my grades, although I always did well academically and have got a BSc in management and economics and a master’s in entrepreneurship and tourism.
I have had an amazingly varied and fulfilling career so far, but I still feel I have so much more to achieveBelinda Esterhammer
Essentially, I was more interested in what I was actually studying than whether I got an A+. So if I decide I want to do something, I don’t hesitate, I just get on with it.
I’ve been a facilitator and public speaker for more than seven years. I used to get butterflies in my tummy before addressing a big audience but I don’t any more.
Factory work
Nowadays, the main hat I wear is as chief executive, Asia, of The DO, which was set up in 2014, long before “innovation”, “impact” and “purpose” became buzzwords, with the aim of helping people and businesses to be part of a greener, purposeful and equitable economy.
We have programmes running in more than 40 countries and have impacted an estimated 5 million people. We work together with organisations on upskilling their employees and help them to execute their strategies.
Our office is in Quarry Bay, in an old industrial building that used to be a diarrhoea pill factory. It’s more like a studio than an office, with lots of natural light and plants, a kitchenette, a billiards table and a book shelf, so the atmosphere is very much inclined towards fostering creativity and innovation.
Think positive
I have had an amazingly varied and fulfilling career so far, but I still feel I have so much more to achieve. The overarching goal is to push beyond boundaries and spark positive change on a global scale.
At the forefront of this mission is the environment, with a particular emphasis on sustainability. After all, we want to ensure that the planet as we know it is going to be here in 100 years’ time.
