Happy International Women’s Day! As we mark this day, we want to take the opportunity to introduce you to the Co-Chairs of this year’s Aspire to Lead Chinese Canadians Leaders’ Summit, Lai King Hum and Zexi Li.
About Ms. Lai King Hum
“Caring is the only daring” defines Lai’s approach to work and life. Lai founded a boutique law firm in 2014, focused on workplace law, human rights, professional regulation, and litigation.
In addition, Lai is a part-time Deputy Judge, Toronto Small Claims Court, Superior Court of Justice, and President of the Ontario Deputy Judges’ associations. She is also one of the three Counsel in the Discrimination and Harassment Counsel Program (a service funded by the Law Society of Ontario), a service that addresses discrimination and harassment by lawyers or paralegals.
Integral to her work and life is Lai’s commitment to the promotion of diversity and inclusion. She has held roles as past-Chair of the Roundtable of Diversity Associations (RODA), a group of legal associations committed to diversity initiatives, and past-President of the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (FACL). In recognition of her significant accomplishments in the law and for service to the legal profession, areas of social justice and/or the Asian community, she was awarded the 2020 Distinguished Lawyer Award from FACL.
About Zexi Li
Zexi Li is an Ottawa resident and a federal public servant, who is a lead plaintiff in the class action lawsuit against the “Freedom Convoy”, which illegally occupied the streets of Ottawa and tormented her community for several weeks from late January to February 2022. In the face of targeted harassment and threats as a result of her action, Zexi persists in her goals to effect positive change within Ottawa and give a voice to the countless residents affected by the siege.
Originally from Toronto and later, Montreal, Zexi fell in love with the Nation’s Capital during her studies at the University of Ottawa, and chose to make the city her permanent home following graduation.
Both of them demonstrate leadership in the choices they make in their work and personal lives. We cannot think of a better team that can inspire and guide us as we build this year’s Leaders’ Summit program.
More information on the Summit will be coming soon. In the meantime, mark this in your calendar. The Summit will be held from June 24-26 and it will be in Toronto, Ontario.
We also want to celebrate our fearless leader and chair, Teresa Woo-Paw, as she continues to champion gender and race equality in her day-to-day life. ACCT would not exist without Teresa’s determination and drive to make Canada a more inclusive country.
And let’s not forget the Co-Chair of 2021 Leaders’ Summit, Patti Pon, who is a veteran community and arts champion with an extensive track record of leadership and service in Calgary. She continues to champion inclusivity in all spheres of her work and we are honoured to have her on the Summit’s Executive Committee.
It takes collective efforts to build a more equitable society. We can achieve this when we all work together to break the biases, build resilience and inclusivity.