Taiwan’s Kitty Wong named ‘Inspirational Woman’ at ICCA World Congress

Kitty Wong, president of K&A International, has been awarded an Inspirational ICCA Woman award at the 57th ICCA World Congress in Dubai. Wong was chosen for her role as a leader, innovator, pioneer and advocate of business events.

She has often led the way on adopting a sustainable mindset, local food sourcing, the importance of event legacy, and collaborative approaches including her role as a founding member of the World PCO Alliance in 2009.

The awards, a project initiated by Nina Freysen-Pretorius, ICCA’s immediate past president (and also an Alliance partner), were presented at her President’s Choice session by the newly elected ICCA president, James Rees, on November 12, 2018.

The awards celebrate the achievements by women who embody the principles and values that are central to ICCA. Wong was one of 10 women recognised and the only representative from Asia. 

“Through my role as ICCA president, I have continuously sought to champion and encourage the achievements of women in business events,” said Freysen-Pretorius. “Gender equality in the workplace globally remains a challenge with unequal opportunities and remuneration packages a reality. Without female role models and champions seen as leaders, presidents and activists as examples, women will not be able to take their rightful place in society at different levels.”

On receiving her award on stage, Wong said: “I am so humbled by this award. Thank you to ICCA for acknowledging the contributions of all women in our industry, and I hope these awards inspire my female peers to continue their invaluable work.” 

A meetings professional since 1991, Wong is one of the most celebrated and influential figures in the business events industry. In addition to being president of K&A International Co. Ltd., a company she founded in 1995, she’s also vice-president of the Taiwan Exhibition and Convention Association (TECA), a board member of the Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Association (AFECA), and a senior consultant for the MEETTAIWAN Project (2017-2020).