PUBLISHED ON 18 SEP 2026
Keen to tackle the barriers to female leadership head on, the inaugural Launching and Inspiring Female Talent (LIFT) lunch shone a spotlight on the LIFT programme’s mission to overcome the obstacles facing women from taking senior leadership roles in grassroots, community and professional sporting organisations.
The LIFT Lunch: Celebrating Women in Sport, co-organised by FTSE-100 wealth management firm St. James’s Place and global law firm DLA Piper, featured voices from across elite sport, including:
- New Zealand rugby’s top try scorer of all time, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe
- Hong Kong Olympic swimmer and Asian Games medalist Camille Cheng
- Bella Milo, Samona rugby union international player and Women’s Club Coaching Officer at Valley RGC
- Sarah Hooper – Hong Kong China Rugby’s interim Chief Executive Officer
In her opening remarks, Hong Kong China Rugby Independent Director Gill Meller said the industry still had some way to go to increase representation, a motivating factor in establishing the LIFT programme. While women accounted for 30% of HKCR’s players in the 2024/25 season, only two senior clubs had female chairs, highlighting the stark gap between female participation and leadership.
“A recent World Rugby report, Where We Belong, found that just under half of women say they would apply for a role in sport, compared to over 70% of men”, Meller added, noting that showcasing sport administration and coaching as viable career options would be a key priority in the years ahead as LIFT looks to support more women into leadership positions.
Across the discussion, the panel affirmed how positive sporting experiences can be in developing leadership skills, how structural barriers impact female participation at all levels and how opportunities to increase representation need to be championed more.
Universally, the panel agreed that if sport is to fulfil its promise as a launchpad for female leadership, more must be done to increase the uptake of sport at a young age, support career transitions and facilitate career progression.
The panel took three key takeaways from the discussion:
1. Sport develops leadership skills and builds resilience and confidence
2. Career transitions after professional sport remain under-supported
3. Many women do not pursue careers in sport due to a lack of clear, visible pathways
The overall conclusion was clear: that there are significant opportunities for women to build careers in sport at all levels, from coaching to board or committee membership. But there’s plenty more.
Find out what the panel said about their experiences and ways that sporting, business and national communities can do more to support how sport can boost the skills required for strong leadership. Read the full report here.
